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Anduril drone fires live missile in first Air Force combat-drone test

Illustration accompanying article: Anduril drone fires live missile in first Air Force combat-drone test
  • An Anduril YFQ-44A Fury drone fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile at a simulated target over the Mojave Desert on July 15, the first live-weapon launch from a U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone.
  • The missile struck a digital target in a beyond-line-of-sight engagement, the Air Force said.
  • Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said the test brought the service "one step closer to delivering capabilities to the warfighter."
  • The Air Force last month awarded contracts for the next generation of CCA drones to Anduril and General Atomics, with plans to acquire about 1,000 of the aircraft.
 2026-07-15 · 3 MIN READ

Air Force awards contracts for new autonomous combat drones to Anduril and General Atomics

Illustration accompanying article: Air Force awards contracts for new autonomous combat drones to Anduril and General Atomics
  • The U.S. Air Force has awarded contracts to Anduril Industries and General Atomics for a new class of autonomous combat drones, the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), designed to operate in highly contested airspace alongside manned fighters.
  • The Air Force plans to acquire about 1,000 CCAs, aiming for a per-unit cost roughly one-third that of a manned F-35 fighter, which costs about $82.5 million.
  • The new drones are larger and more expensive than the cheap, expendable drones that have reshaped warfare in Ukraine and the Middle East, reflecting a shift toward high-endurance autonomous systems.
  • General Atomics' FQ-42 carries missiles in an internal weapons bay, while Anduril's FQ-44 carries munitions externally; both are designed to fly autonomously with limited human command, rather than being flown remotely like current Reaper drones.
  • The Air Force's fiscal 2027 budget request includes more than $1 billion for the CCAs, with more than $9.5 billion planned over the next five years; the contract terms remain classified.
  • The new drones are intended to survive advanced Chinese and Russian air defenses, which military analysts say can destroy or disable U.S. aircraft on the ground or in the air.
 2026-06-18 · 3 MIN READ
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