US Air Force CCA programme to achieve multiple milestones in the coming months
FQ-42 Vengeance will have its first live-fire missile test “very soon”. (Photo: General Atomics)
The US Air Force is preparing to select mission-autonomy software, fire a missile from the FQ-42 Vengeance and test both CCA designs alongside crewed fighters at 2026 Emerald Flag.
The US Air Force (USAF) expects to reach several critical milestones in the short term with its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme. Some of the marks include deploying the CCA platforms in Emerald Flag exercise 2026, conducting the first live-fire missile test of the FQ-42 Vengeance and picking a mission autonomy software supplier.
“We are getting close to our mission autonomy down select,” Brig Gen Timothy Helfrich, the USAF’s portfolio acquisition executive for fighters and advanced aircraft, said in a webinar conducted by the US think tank Mitchell Institute on 28 September.
Helfrich claimed that the purchase of the software
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Country-focused updates
-
![AUSA 2026: XM30 competitors keep their cards close as US Army decision approaches]()
AUSA 2026: XM30 competitors keep their cards close as US Army decision approaches
The US Army’s XM30 programme is an ambitious multi-billion-dollar effort to replace Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. American Rheinmetall and General Dynamics Land Systems are fighting for the contract.
-
![Anduril’s $6.6bn wager on fixing America’s submarine bottleneck]()
Anduril’s $6.6bn wager on fixing America’s submarine bottleneck
Anduril’s Arsenal-2 is a gamble on a brand-new yard and perfect timing, but with Virginia-class output stuck at 1.1 to 1.2 boats a year, it is a bet worth making.
-
![Canada targets 2027 frigate trials for CU179 Peregrine uncrewed helicopter]()
Canada targets 2027 frigate trials for CU179 Peregrine uncrewed helicopter
The Royal Canadian Navy’s CU179 Peregrine will undergo Halifax-class frigate trials in 2027 ahead of initial operational capability in 2028, while River-class destroyer integration arrangements remain undefined.
-
![Singapore confirms fully automated SIGMA SPH as new precision-strike system emerges]()
Singapore confirms fully automated SIGMA SPH as new precision-strike system emerges
Singapore has confirmed plans to introduce a fully automated howitzer alongside an emerging precision-strike capability whose weapon type and deployment status have not been disclosed.
