February 10, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Marine Corps brings General Atomics into CCA program for autonomy development
The Marines will use General Atomics’ YFQ-42A aircraft to evaluate how the service’s future loyal wingman drones will integrate with and fly alongside crewed fighter jets. The post Marine Corps brings General Atomics...
The Marine Corps has tapped General Atomics to help further develop the autonomous flight capabilities of the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) platform, the company announced Tuesday. Under the new contract, the Marines will use General Atomics’ YFQ-42A aircraft — developed by the company for the Air Force’s CCA program — to evaluate how the service’s future loyal wingman drones will integrate with and fly alongside crewed fighter jets, according to a General Atomics news release. The company did not provide details on how much the contract is worth.
The work will directly inform the service’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) program. Like others across the Pentagon, the Marines are developing unmanned aerial vehicles that can augment manned aircraft to provide additional strike and intelligence-gathering capabilities. In January, the service awarded Northrop Grumman a $231.5 million deal to serve as prime contractor for increment 1 of the MUX TACAIR program.