US Air Force Selects Anduril and General Atomics to Build CCA Autonomous Wingmen

US Air Force Selects Anduril and General Atomics to Build CCA Autonomous Wingmen

The US Air Force (USAF) has formally selected Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to build autonomous wingman drones under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

On June 17, 2026, both Anduril and General Atomics announced that their flight-test airframes had received USAF approval to advance to the production-representative configuration.

General Atomics confirmed it had been awarded a production contract for its FQ-42A Dark Merlin, while Anduril received a corresponding production contract for its FQ-44 Fury unmanned aircraft.

The Air Force stated that the production contracts were awarded four months ahead of the original schedule, citing both platforms' achievement of "rigorous mission requirements."

The selection followed a competitive source-selection process conducted by the Air Force to identify "the most capable and cost-effective solutions to maintain air superiority in an increasingly complex and contested global threat environment."

FQ-42A Dark Merlin

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said: "By rapidly transitioning from competitive selection to full-rate manufacturing, we are fielding highly credible, combat-ready semi-autonomous systems to stay ahead of our adversaries. These contracts reaffirm our confidence in the strategic direction of the CCA program — with a goal of procuring more than 150 combat-capable CCAs by the end of the decade."

General Atomics and Anduril were originally selected in April 2024 to build production-representative flight-test airframes for CCA Increment 1.

Anduril Industries Vice President Mark Shushnar said: "The Air Force's decision to announce production several months ahead of schedule is a clear statement of their confidence in this program. This decision is the best testament to the capabilities the joint Anduril and US Air Force team has built, and validates the verification steps we have taken."

Shushnar added that the contract also establishes a framework for the Air Force to procure production-representative FQ-44s in batches over the coming years.

GA-ASI noted that development of the FQ-42A proceeded at an accelerated pace, with only 15 months elapsing from contract award to first flight.

GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said: "This is an exciting day for our company and for the nation. The FQ-42A entering production is the result of an exceptional partnership between General Atomics and the US Air Force, and years of investment. We were ready for this order, and manufacturing is already well underway."

Mission Autonomy Software Contracts

The US Air Force simultaneously awarded mission autonomy software production contracts to a pool of six vendors.

The Air Force described the arrangement as a "baseline six-year contract framework that provides a structure for ongoing competition and rapid software development." The six selected vendors are:

• Anduril
• General Atomics
• Lockheed Martin
• Northrop Grumman
• RTX Collins Aerospace
• Shield AI

In addition, the Air Force competitively awarded separate production option contracts to Anduril, RTX Collins Aerospace, and Shield AI to accelerate delivery of critical mission autonomy software.

Secretary Meink said: "Mission autonomy capabilities are the cornerstone of the CCA concept, and leveraging a competitive, multi-vendor environment ensures we have access to the latest technology. This approach guarantees our airmen are equipped with the most advanced operational capabilities today, while preserving room for the breakthrough technologies needed to maintain air superiority in the future."

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