This article is based on an official press release from Kratos Defense and additional industry reporting.

Kratos and GE Aerospace Secure Air Force Contract for New GEK1500 Engine

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and GE Aerospace have been awarded a $12.4 million contracts by the U.S. Air Force to develop a new engine tailored for the next generation of unmanned aerial systems. The award funds the preliminary design of the GEK1500, a 1,500-pound thrust class turbofan engine intended to power “expendable” Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

According to the official announcement from Kratos, this development effort aims to support the Air Force’s strategic goal of “affordable mass”, deploying large numbers of low-cost autonomous drones to overwhelm adversary defenses. The GEK1500 is specifically designed to bridge the gap between short-range munitions and long-endurance aircraft, offering a cost-effective solution for systems that may not be expected to return from every mission.

Designing for “Limited Life” Operations

The GEK1500 represents a departure from traditional fighter engine design, which prioritizes durability over thousands of flight hours. Instead, this new engine is engineered for “limited life” applications. This design philosophy allows for significant cost reductions while maintaining the performance necessary for relevant combat ranges.

In a press statement, Steve Russell, Vice President of Combat Capability Systems at GE Aerospace, highlighted the engine’s developmental lineage:

“Lessons learned from recent GEK800 altitude testing are directly informing GEK1500… so we can meet CCA requirements without compromising affordability or schedule.”

The engine scales up the architecture of the smaller GEK800, an 800-pound thrust engine originally developed for cruise missiles. By leveraging this existing technology, the joint team aims to accelerate development timelines and mitigate technical risks.

Turbofan vs. Turbojet

A critical technical distinction of the GEK1500 is its turbofan architecture. While many existing small expendable systems utilize simpler turbojet engines, the Air Force requires greater fuel efficiency to extend the range of its CCA fleet.

According to reporting by Breaking Defense, GE Aerospace executive Craig Young noted that while turbojets are inexpensive, they lack the fuel efficiency required for the extended ranges demanded by modern combat scenarios.

Strategic Context: The “Expendable” Niche

The U.S. Air-Forces’s CCA program is generally divided into two categories: “attritable” systems, which are high-performance drones designed to return and fly again (such as those being developed by Anduril and General Atomics), and “expendable” systems, which are lower-cost assets designed for high-risk missions or one-way trips.

The GEK1500 targets the latter category. By focusing on the 1,500-pound thrust class, Kratos and GE are positioning this engine to power smaller drones, decoys, and next-generation cruise missiles. This sector of the market requires engines that are sophisticated enough to provide range and speed but cheap enough to be manufactured in high volumes.

AirPro News Analysis

We observe that this contract award signals a potential vertical integration shift for Kratos. Currently, Kratos platforms like the XQ-58A Valkyrie utilize commercial engines from third-party suppliers such as Williams International. By co-developing the GEK1500, Kratos is moving to secure its own supply chain for propulsion.

This move addresses a critical bottleneck in drone production: the availability of small, high-performance engines. If Kratos and GE can successfully mass-produce the GEK1500, they could dominate the propulsion market for the “low-end” CCA segment, distinct from the larger engines required for the Air Force’s Increment 1 “loyal wingman” drones.

Competitive Landscape

The development of the GEK1500 places Kratos and GE Aerospace in direct competition with other major industry players vying to power the Air Force’s future fleet. The 500 to 2,000-pound thrust class has become a hotbed of innovation.

• Manufacturers: Is currently developing the HON1600, leveraging its extensive background in auxiliary power units.
• Pratt & Whitney: Is working on a family of small engines ranging from 500 to 1,800 pounds of thrust.
• Williams International: Remains the incumbent leader, with its engines currently powering the XQ-58A Valkyrie and other prominent systems.

The Air Force has made it clear that it prioritizes high-performing, low-cost engines to enable disruptive capabilities. As the CCA program evolves, the ability to produce these engines at scale will likely determine which manufacturers secure long-term production contracts.

Sources:
Kratos Defense Press Release

This article is based on an official press release from Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin and USAF Demonstrate Autonomous Missile Evasion on X-62A VISTA

On February 23, 2026, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) announced a significant advancement in autonomous flight capabilities. Through a collaborative effort known as the “Have Remy” Test Management Project (TMP), the team successfully demonstrated the transfer of artificial intelligence (AI) agents from a digital simulation environment directly to the cockpit of the X-62A VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft).

According to the company’s announcement, this marks the first time a Lockheed Martin AI system has been granted direct control of the X-62A to perform complex tactical maneuvers specifically designed for autonomous missile evasion. The tests, conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in California, utilized a “sim-to-real” workflow that allowed engineers to rapidly update and refine the software during the flight campaign.

Project “Have Remy” and the X-62A

The X-62A VISTA, a highly modified F-16D Block 30, has become a central platform for the U.S. Air Force’s exploration of autonomous combat. While previous campaigns, such as the DARPA Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, focused on within-visual-range “dogfighting,” the “Have Remy” project shifted the operational focus to survival.

Lockheed Martin reports that the campaign included over 100 test points where AI agents were placed in direct control of the aircraft. The primary objective was to validate that agents trained entirely in a digital environment could successfully execute split-second, 3D maneuvers to defeat incoming missile threats in the real world.

The “Supermassive” Simulation Engine

A key component of this success was the use of “Supermassive,” Lockheed Martin’s proprietary simulation environment. The company states that this system ran billions of simulated missions to train the AI agents on various threat scenarios before they were ever uploaded to the aircraft.

This digital foundation enabled a rapid “fly-fix-fly” development cycle. According to the press release, engineers were able to observe the AI’s performance in the air, identify issues, retrain the agents in the simulator, and push updated code back to the X-62A within hours. This stands in contrast to traditional software development cycles, which can often take weeks or months to implement flight-test feedback.

Workforce Development and Safety

The “Have Remy” project also served as a curriculum tool for the USAF Test Pilot School. Students and instructors were integrated into the development loop, defining the missile-evasion scenarios and evaluating how well the AI replicated its simulation performance in physical flight.

Safety remains a paramount concern in autonomous flight testing. The X-62A VISTA utilizes a unique safety architecture that allows a human safety pilot to remain in the cockpit. This pilot can instantly disengage the AI and take manual control if the system exceeds established safety limits. Lockheed Martin emphasized the importance of this human-machine teaming in their statement:

By proving that autonomous agents can be safely monitored, understood, and controlled in real time, we are turning the vision of human-machine teaming into an operational reality.

AirPro News Analysis

The shift from offensive dogfighting to defensive missile evasion represents a critical maturation in tactical AI. While dogfighting demonstrates the ability to outmaneuver an opponent, missile evasion requires the AI to prioritize survival against high-speed, non-cooperative threats, a fundamental requirement for any future autonomous wingman or unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

Furthermore, the involvement of TPS students suggests the Air Force is actively working to build “trust” in non-deterministic systems. By training the next generation of test pilots to evaluate AI behaviors, the service is preparing its workforce for future platforms, such as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems, where human operators will likely manage teams of autonomous assets.

Sources

Sources: Lockheed Martin

This article is based on an official press release from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and summarizes public program updates.

GA-ASI Designates CCA Contender as YFQ-42A Dark Merlin

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has officially unveiled the designation for its entrant in the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program: the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. The announcement, made on February 23, 2026, solidifies the identity of the semi-autonomous drones designed to serve as a “loyal wingman” for manned fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II and the future Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform.

According to the company’s press release, the name “Dark Merlin” was chosen to reflect the aircraft’s aggressive air-to-air combat role. The moniker references a specific subspecies of falcon known for its dark plumage and predatory behavior toward other falcons, a direct metaphor for the drone’s intended function of neutralizing enemy aerial threats.

The YFQ-42A represents a significant step in the Air Force’s strategy to field affordable, autonomous mass. By utilizing a common chassis derived from GA-ASI’s “Gambit” series, the manufacturers aims to deliver high-performance capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional manned fighters.

Design and Capabilities

The YFQ-42A Dark Merlin is distinguished by its focus on stealth and survivability in contested airspace. Unlike some competitors that rely on external weapons carriage, the Dark Merlin features an internal weapons bay. This design choice reduces radar cross-section and aerodynamic drag, allowing the aircraft to operate more effectively in high-threat environments.

David R. Alexander, President of GA-ASI, emphasized the predatory nature of the design in a statement regarding the naming convention:

Dark merlins are hunting machines, built for speed and aerodynamics. They harass other falcons for fun, and they eat what they kill. The name sums up our new uncrewed fighter perfectly.

The “Genus/Species” Manufacturing Approach

GA-ASI has highlighted that the Dark Merlin shares a common core with the XQ-67A, another sensing station variant. This manufacturing philosophy, described as a “genus/species” approach, allows different aircraft variants to be built from a shared “genus” or chassis. This modularity is intended to accelerate production timelines and reduce unit costs, a critical requirement for the CCA program.

Strategic Context: The CCA Program

The U.S. Air-Forces’ CCA program aims to acquire at least 1,000 autonomous aircraft to act as force multipliers. These drones will operate in “packs” controlled by a single human pilot, extending the sensing and striking range of the manned formation.

According to program updates and industry analysis, the Air Force has set a unit cost target of approximately $25 to $30 million. However, GA-ASI has publicly stated an ambition to deliver the Dark Merlin for “far less than $20 million,” positioning cost efficiency as a primary competitive advantage.

Timeline and Milestones

Development of the YFQ-42A has proceeded rapidly. Key milestones reported by industry sources include:

• August 2025: The aircraft completed its first successful Test-Flights.
• February 2026: The platform conducted its first flight utilizing full mission autonomy software.
• FY 2026: The Air Force is expected to make a production decision for Increment 1 of the CCA program.

Competitive Landscape

The Dark Merlin is competing directly against Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A “Fury” for the Air Force production contract. The two platforms represent diverging design philosophies within the CCA requirements.

While GA-ASI has prioritized stealth via an internal weapons bay, reports indicate that the Anduril entrant utilizes external hardpoints for weapons carriage. This distinction suggests a trade-off between maximum survivability (Dark Merlin) and potentially lower complexity or different payload configurations (Fury). Both companies are vying for a production decision expected later in 2026, with the Air Force potentially awarding contracts to one or both vendors depending on budget and strategic needs.

AirPro News Analysis

The designation “YFQ-42A” offers insight into the aircraft’s current status and future role. In U.S. military nomenclature, the “Y” prefix denotes a prototype, while “F” stands for Fighter and “Q” indicates an uncrewed system. Should the aircraft enter full production, it would likely be redesignated as the FQ-42A.

Furthermore, the selection of the Dark Merlin by the U.S. Marine Corps for evaluation in their MUX TACAIR program suggests that the platform’s utility may extend beyond the Air Force. If successful, this cross-service adoption could significantly increase production volume, further driving down unit costs through economies of scale, a critical factor in the “affordable mass” doctrine.

Sources

GA-ASI Press Release