Air Force Awards 150 CCA Drone Contracts to General Atomics, Anduril by 2030
Updated
Updated · Air & Space Forces Magazine · Jun 17
Air Force Awards 150 CCA Drone Contracts to General Atomics, Anduril by 2030
3 articles · Updated · Air & Space Forces Magazine · Jun 17
Summary
At least 150 semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be built in the program’s first increment after the Air Force awarded engineering, manufacturing and production contracts to General Atomics and Anduril.
The selected aircraft—General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A, now redesignated FQ-42A and FQ-44A for production—were judged mature enough to move ahead four months early after testing in 2025.
Under a separate “software sold separately” approach, Anduril, Shield AI and Collins Aerospace won six-month autonomy software awards, with the Air Force planning to narrow that field to one final vendor by summer 2027.
Unit cost remains classified, but the service said it is meeting or beating its target of less than $30 million per aircraft, roughly one-third the price of an F-35.
The first 150 aircraft are a step toward an eventual fleet of about 1,000 CCAs designed to team with fighters such as the F-35A, F-22A and future F-47 in strike, reconnaissance and electronic warfare missions.
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Breaking Down the FQ-42A Dark Merlin: USAF’s Next-Gen Autonomous Wingman and the Future of Collaborative Combat Aircraft
Overview
On June 17, 2026, the U.S. Air Force awarded a production contract for the General Atomics FQ-42A Dark Merlin, marking a major step forward for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. This contract represents a significant move toward building an initial fleet of advanced drones designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft. The FQ-42A Dark Merlin will be a key part of this new fleet, which will also include Anduril’s FQ-44A Fury. The Air Force is actively pursuing rapid acquisition of these CCAs, with nearly $1 billion allocated in 2027 to start CCA Increment 1 procurement.