YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft begins flight testing
NewsNovember 03, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Anduril began flight testing of its YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), a semi-autonomous fighter-class prototype designed for manned-unmanned teaming, the company announced in a statement.
The company says the initial flights are operating the aircraft in semi-autonomous modes -- where the vehicle follows mission plans and handles flight control without a pilot at the stick -- while an operator remains “on the loop,” the statement reads. Anduril adds the tests are intended to validate autonomy, flight control, weapons integration, and sustainment tools that track airframe health and maintenance. The firm also says the YFQ-44A is being exercised to develop tactics for teaming with crewed fighters and for independent uncrewed operations, the statement reads.
Anduril reports the program moved from clean-sheet design to first flight in 556 days and is optimizing the airframe for producibility ahead of planned prototype production next year. The company says it is using a common software backbone called ArsenalOS to speed iteration and to support planned manufacturing at a new production campus in Columbus, Ohio, the statement adds.
