US-based defence technology company Anduril Industries successfully completed the first semi-autonomous flight test of the YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), developed in 556 days.
Military aviation has witnessed many milestones, from the revolution of jet engines to stealth technology.
Today, a new page is being opened: the era of autonomous combat aircraft.
US-based defence technology company Anduril Industries has reached a historic milestone in the CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) programme carried out in cooperation with the US Air Force (USAF).
The company completed the first semi-autonomous flight test of the YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft — designed entirely from scratch — in only 556 days, ushering in a new era in modern air combat doctrine.
A New Paradigm in Aviation: Autonomous Combat Aircraft
Jet engines transformed aviation in the 1950s, and stealth technology did so in the 1980s.
Today that transformation is being redefined by artificial intelligence and autonomy.
The YFQ-44A has been developed to enable manned and unmanned systems to operate together in combat environments.
The aircraft aims to set a new standard in air combat with high manoeuvrability, stealth, range, AI-based mission control and weapons integration.
Anduril’s CEO said, “This project is not just a flight test; it is a step into the future of air power. The YFQ-44A not only looks like a fighter, it thinks like a fighter.”
Semi-Autonomous from the First Flight
The YFQ-44A was developed as the first representation of the full-autonomy vision.
The aircraft can generate its own mission plan without relying on human control, independently manage throttle and flight controls, and execute a landing with a single command.
Anduril’s engineers stated that all tests were conducted in “semi-autonomous mode” and that the aircraft operates on the principle of “human oversight in the loop, but operational autonomy out of the loop.”
This capability is regarded as one of the first practical examples of the manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concept.
Record Speed: Just 556 Days
Anduril and the USAF moved the YFQ-44A from design to flight testing in only 556 days, outpacing all recent combat aircraft programmes.
This achievement is drawing attention in the defence sector as an indicator of the “speed to field” strategy.
Anduril stated:
“Our competitors aren’t waiting for us. We must rapidly field affordable, intelligent aircraft. The YFQ-44A is the technical answer to that imperative.”
AI-Based Combat Capability
The YFQ-44A not only flies — it analyses the battlefield, identifies targets and optimises effects management.
Its integrated software backbone controls functions such as data processing, weapons systems, maintenance and vehicle health management from a single centre.
As a result, the aircraft gains autonomous decision-making capability in both combat and maintenance processes.
The Road to Mass Production: Arsenal-1
Anduril is building the 4.7 million square-metre Arsenal-1 production facility in Columbus, Ohio, for YFQ-44A production.
The facility will begin prototype CCA production in the first half of 2026.
To speed up the production process, the company has developed a software platform called ArsenalOS, which converts design changes into real-time production optimisation.
This ensures high-speed production while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
The People Behind the Innovation
The Anduril team summarised the emotional side of the project as follows:
“Aircraft are not just engineering, they are emotion. Since Orville and Wilbur Wright, aviation has been a product of human imagination. The YFQ-44A is the continuation of that dream.”
The company stated that the project was realised with “blood, sweat and determination,” but emphasised that the journey has only just begun.
The YFQ-44A will sit at the centre of the US Air Force’s future warfighting strategy.
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