February 12, 2026 at 10:11 PM
US Air Force’s CCA program advances with auto-flying software integration
The service said integrating third-party autonomous software is a major step on developing drones that can fly themselves alongside jets like the F-35.
General Atomics' YFQ-42A collaborative combat aircraft, pictured here, carried out hours of semiautonomous test flights after being integrated with Collins Aerospace's software. (U.S. Air Force)The U.S.
Air Force said Thursday that government-owned autonomous software programs have been successfully integrated into both of its prototype collaborative combat aircraft, in a major milestone.In a statement, the service said this shows a central pillar of its CCA strategy — that they can be easily modified and upgraded using a modular open systems architecture — can work, and improve how the defense industrial base operates.CCAs are drone wingmen that are intended to fly sem-autonomously alongside aircraft such as the F-35A and next-generation F-47 fighter. The Air Force hopes to field at least 1,000 CCAs in varying configurations, and have them carry out missions such as strike operations, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and as decoys to lure enemy fire away from piloted fighters.The Air Force in 2024 contracted with General Atomics and Anduril Industries to make its first CCAs, the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, respectively. Ground testing for both began in spring 2025, and later that year, flight tests began.This third-party autonomous software was integrated into both CCA models using a system called Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, or A-GRA, the service said.