In March 2025 the U.S. Air Force announced a truly historic event the creation of two series of loyal wingmen under the CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) project: the unmanned aircraft YFQ-42A from General Atomics and the YFQ-44A from Anduril which in practice are the first generation of so-called unmanned fighters in the U.S. military.
As of today, the situation is that one of these large drones has already made its first flight, while the other company is delaying that milestone, according to Defense One.
Read more: russia Can Launch UAVs Like Gerbera From Shadow Fleet Tankers, It Poses Real Threat
While the YFQ-42A from General Atomics already made its first flight tests this summer, the YFQ-44A from Anduril has not despite expectations in the USAF. Anduril admits delays with the first flight of its CCA prototype and offers a fairly rational explanation: the company wants to make its YFQ-44A truly semi-autonomous, as Anduril Vice President Dee Salmon emphasized.
The goal is also to perform the first semi-autonomous flight, meaning takeoff and landing will be executed with the push of a single button, he stressed essentially starting with the hardest part.
By contrast, competitors at General Atomics acknowledge that the YFQ-42A's initial flights were not semi-autonomous, but the company prefers a step-by-step approach and is careful to avoid unnecessary risks. That difference in approaches can be a positive side of competition, with both companies pursuing somewhat different development paths.
Moreover, Anduril's delay with the YFQ-44A may not be critical preliminary information indicates the long-awaited first flight of this unmanned fighter is expected in mid-October, only a few months behind.
Read more: Ukrainian Drones Deliver Unprecedented Blow to the Iskander System Brigade
