US Air Force announces mission designation for Anduril and GA-ASI’s CCA prototypes
The USAF designation for the new CCAs marks a first in a new generation of uncrewed combat aircraft. (Photo: USAF / X)
The news follows confirmation from GA-ASI that it will fly its CCA prototype this year and signals the next step in the collaborative combat aircraft programme.
The United States Air Force (USAF) has announced that Anduril and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototypes have been given a mission design series (MSD) designation.
For Anduril’s Fury and GA-ASI’s XQ-67A platform – named YFQ-44A and YFQ-42A, respectively – this announcement marks the first aircraft type with a YFQ designation: Y denoting prototype, F meaning fighter and Q noting uncrewed.
USAF Chief of Staff General David Allvin said in a statement on X that this marked “a big step in the military aviation world” and demonstrated “incredible progress toward the Department of Defense’s charge to
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force]()
M-345 officially enters service as trainer for Italian Air Force
The Leonardo M-345 High-Efficiency Trainer (HET) basic/advanced trainer is similar to the M-346, which is the second part of the Italian Air Force’s training system, but is a substantially smaller and less powerful aircraft.
-
![Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025]()
Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025
The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.
-
![Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training]()
Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training
In Conversation... Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to CAE's Marc-Olivier Sabourin about how the training and simulation industry can help militaries achieve essential levels of readiness by leveraging new technology, innovative procurement methods and a truly collaborative approach.
