Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype designated as YFQ-42A by U.S. Air Force
NewsMarch 04, 2025
SAN DIEGO, California. The U.S. Air Force designated General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.'s (GA-ASI) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototype as the YFQ-42A, the company announced in a statement.
The designation follows the Air Force's 2024 decision to select GA-ASI to develop and build the uncrewed jet fighter. The YFQ-42A is designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft, leveraging autonomous capabilities and teaming concepts to enhance mission effectiveness in contested environments, the statement reads.
According to GA-ASI, the YFQ-42A represents the first in a new generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft, intended to provide force multiplication at a lower cost while maintaining air superiority. The aircraft is designed to integrate with existing and next-generation crewed platforms.
The Air Force had previously designated GA-ASI’s predecessor aircraft, the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, as part of its efforts to develop autonomous collaborative platforms. In the Air Force’s system, a "Y" designation applies to initial production-representative aircraft, while "F" signifies a fighter and "Q" denotes an uncrewed aircraft. Once the aircraft moves into full production, the "Y" will be dropped from the designation, the statement adds.
GA-ASI will display a one-sixth scale model of the YFQ-42A at the Air Warfare Symposium from March 3-5, 2025.
