Autonomous combat aircraft unveiled for Royal Air Force missions
NewsJuly 23, 2026
WARTON, England. BAE Systems unveiled an autonomous uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) designed to operate alongside crewed combat aircraft and perform electronic warfare and precision-strike missions, the company announced in a statement.
The Brontanax prototype was designed and built at BAE Systems’ Warton facility and is being prepared for ground testing before planned flight trials in United Kingdom airspace, the statement reads.
Similar in size to a BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, Brontanax is intended to be controlled from a distance by a Typhoon pilot or mission commander, enabling crewed and uncrewed aircraft to conduct coordinated missions, the company says.
The aircraft uses an open architecture and modular design intended to support changes to mission systems and payloads as operational requirements develop, according to BAE Systems. More than 500 company employees and over 75 British companies and small and medium-sized enterprises have participated in the program, the statement adds.
Brontanax forms part of the United Kingdom’s Storm Fighter program, which has received a £300 million government commitment for autonomous combat-air development, BAE Systems states. The uncrewed aerial system (UAS) is expected to enter service before the end of the decade.
