As announced on Monday, July 27, 2026, the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft Experimental Operations Unit recently conducted operational testing of two prototype unmanned combat aircraft, commonly known as loyal wingmen: the Anduril YFQ-44A Fury and General Atomics YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
Photos: USAF
The tests covered rapid ground refueling and rearming of the drones, takeoffs and landings under combat conditions, cooperation with crewed aircraft, operations from dispersed and austere locations in accordance with the Agile Combat Employment concept, and practical aspects of operational logistics, including the number of personnel and amount of ground support equipment required. The exercises were intended to replicate a realistic operational environment.
“Air superiority in today’s increasingly contested environments requires the rapid fielding of affordable mass,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach, emphasizing the strategic driver for the platform. “CCA are essential to this effort. By integrating uncrewed systems to fly alongside our Airmen, we extend reach and increase lethality.”
Next step in CCA development! https://t.co/GZvnRGKSHj
— General Ken Wilsbach (@OfficialCSAF) July 28, 2026
The multi-day event marked an important step in developing the foundational tactics, techniques, and procedures that will define how Collaborative Combat Aircraft are integrated into the force. During the exercise, the Experimental Operations Unit conducted multiple flights with both prototypes. The scenarios were designed to help determine future platform requirements.
“This exercise was about getting the systems into the hands of the warfighter,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Jensen, Experimental Operations Unit commander. “We are focused on operating CCA outside of a traditional test environment so we can continue to learn, inform, and rapidly iterate.”
Observers from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center also participated in the event as part of a new accelerated operational testing process.
“Our test teams can continuously use these warfighter-run exercises to gather and analyze data that aids in informed CCA fielding decisions well ahead of the normal process to deliver combat capability when needed by our Air Force and the Nation,” said Brigadier General Jesse Friedel, AFOTEC commander.
Operating Collaborative Combat Aircraft from different locations is itself an important training objective, requiring teams to adapt and operate with the flexibility needed in contested environments. During the exercise, operators worked on integrating advanced autonomous capabilities, a key step toward the program’s vision of effective human-machine teaming.
The CCA program, which progressed from concept to flight testing in less than two years, is intended to pioneer a new approach to acquisition. Jensen explained that by leveraging competition and involving operators in the development process from the outset, the Experimental Operations Unit is accelerating the delivery of a combat-ready uncrewed air force.
“The exercise was not only a test of technology but a testament to the warfighters who are actively shaping CCA development,” Wilsbach said. “The lessons learned at Creech will directly influence how the Air Force integrates these cutting-edge concepts into future combat ops.”
On July 15 this year, one of the competing prototypes, Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Fury, launched an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile for the first time.
Meanwhile, on July 28, the manufacturer announced that the first prototype had been completed at its new Arsenal-1 facility in Columbus, Ohio, whose location was announced on January 16, 2025. The site is intended to become the aircraft’s serial production facility, as announced on June 17 this year. The U.S. Department of Defense expects more than 150 aircraft of both types to enter service under Increment 1 by the end of the decade.
557 days ago, Arsenal-1 didn’t exist. Today, the first YFQ-44A built in Ohio rolled off the production line. pic.twitter.com/zVM8i75vrW
— Anduril Industries (@anduriltech) July 28, 2026
The CCA program is part of the broader Next Generation Air Dominance initiative. Long-term plans call for the acquisition of up to 200 sixth-generation NGAD multirole combat aircraft and at least 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft. On March 21, 2025, Boeing’s proposal was selected to develop the crewed F-47 as the successor to the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor air-superiority fighter.
