This article is based on an official press release from the U.S. Air Force.

Air Force Validates Open Architecture for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

The United States Air Force has successfully validated a key technical pillar of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, proving that mission autonomy software can operate seamlessly across different aircraft hulls. According to an official announcement released Thursday, the service has implemented the government-owned Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) on platforms from multiple vendors, a move designed to eliminate proprietary “vendor lock” and accelerate technology fielding.

The validation effort involved integrating third-party autonomy software onto the program’s two primary prototype airframes: the YFQ-42A from General Atomics and the YFQ-44A from Anduril Industries. By decoupling mission software from vehicle hardware, the Air Force aims to create a competitive “ecosystem” where the best available technology can be rapidly deployed to the warfighter regardless of which company built the aircraft.

Breaking Vendor Lock with A-GRA

The core of this recent success is the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA). In the past, military aircraft often relied on proprietary software systems tightly coupled with the hardware, making upgrades difficult and expensive. The A-GRA model establishes a universal standard, allowing the Air Force to swap software modules, such as targeting algorithms or flight behaviors, without redesigning the entire aircraft.

Col. Timothy Helfrich, the Air Force’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft, emphasized the strategic importance of this validation in the press release.

“Verifying A-GRA across multiple partners is critical to our strategy. It proves that we are not locked into a single solution or a single vendor.”

Col. Timothy Helfrich, U.S. Air Force

Helfrich added that the service is building a competitive environment where algorithms can be deployed on any compliant platform. This approach aligns with the Department of Defense’s broader push for “open mission systems,” ensuring that future upgrades can be sourced from a diverse range of traditional defense contractors and non-traditional software firms.

Flight Testing and Industry Partners

The Air Force announcement detailed specific pairings of autonomy providers and airframe manufacturers used during the validation process. The service stated that mission autonomy vendors RTX Collins and Shield AI have begun semi-autonomous flight testing. These software providers were paired with the program’s hardware primes:

• RTX Collins software integrated with the General Atomics YFQ-42 platform.
• Shield AI software integrated with the Anduril Industries YFQ-44 platform.

This cross-pollination of vendors demonstrates the program’s modularity. According to the Air Force, the Agile Development Office director noted that integrating A-GRA onto multiple platforms quickly demonstrates that the open-system approach works, allowing the service to “iterate tactics and capabilities across the fleet at a pace that keeps us ahead of the threat.”

AirPro News analysis

The successful validation of A-GRA represents a significant shift in how the Pentagon buys tactical aircraft. Historically, the prime contractor for an aircraft (such as Lockheed Martin for the F-35) controlled the entire software ecosystem, often leading to high sustainment costs and slow upgrade cycles. By enforcing a government-owned reference architecture, the Air Force is effectively commoditizing the airframe while placing higher value on the software “brains” of the CCA fleet.

This structure also lowers the barrier to entry for software-focused defense tech companies. Firms like Shield AI and RTX Collins can compete solely on the performance of their autonomy code without needing to build physical aircraft. For the CCA program, which aims to field at least 1,000 affordable, autonomous drones to fly alongside the F-35 and Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighters, this modularity is essential to keeping costs down and adaptability high.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program?
The CCA program is a U.S. Air Force initiative to develop a fleet of uncrewed, autonomous aircraft that operate as “loyal wingmen” alongside piloted fighters. They are designed to carry weapons, sensors, or electronic warfare systems.

What is A-GRA?
A-GRA stands for Autonomy Government Reference Architecture. It is a government-owned software standard that ensures autonomy software from different vendors can run on different aircraft hardware, preventing proprietary lock-in.

Which companies are building the aircraft?
For the first increment of the program, General Atomics and Anduril Industries are the prime contractors building the airframes (YFQ-42 and YFQ-44, respectively).

Sources

• U.S. Air Force