US Air Force Awards CCA Production Contracts to GA-ASI and Anduril

The Department of the Air Force awarded engineering, manufacturing development, and production contracts to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Anduril Industries on June 17, 2026, for the first increment of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

The awards mark a transition from design to production for the uncrewed platforms, which are intended to fly alongside crewed fifth- and sixth-generation fighters. Concurrently, the Air Force selected three companies from a pool of six to advance mission-autonomy Software for the fleet, establishing a competitive marketplace for the program’s digital architecture.

Transitioning to airframe production

The production contracts follow an initial design phase that began in April 2024. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) will produce the FQ-42A, while Anduril Industries will Manufacturing the FQ-44A. Both aircraft were developed under accelerated acquisition timelines.

According to a press release from GA-ASI, the company moved from contract award to the Maiden-Flight of its YFQ-42A prototype in 15 months, achieving first flight in August 2025. The company confirmed that manufacturing for the production FQ-42A is already underway at its facilities.

David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI, stated in the release that moving to production on the FQ-42A is the result of an extraordinary Partnerships and years of investment between the manufacturer and the U.S. Air Force.

Advancing mission-autonomy software

In parallel with airframe production, the Air Force is advancing the software required to operate the uncrewed aircraft in highly contested environments. The service selected Anduril, Shield AI, and Collins Aerospace to continue developing mission-autonomy systems.

Reporting by DefenseScoop indicates the three vendors received six-month Contracts to mature their software toward initial operational capacity criteria. Col. Timothy Helfrich, the Air Force program acquisition executive for fighters and advanced aircraft, detailed the evaluation process to the outlet.

“At the end of that six months, we will do an assessment of how much capability they have towards what is necessary for IOC, and then do another down-select to either one or two vendors for another six-month option,” Helfrich told DefenseScoop.

The Air Force plans to conduct a large-scale fly-off in 2029 to evaluate mission-autonomy software from the broader marketplace. Helfrich noted that the government retains the ability to order software licenses from any of the original six vendors if it serves the program’s best interests.

Strategic integration and fleet goals

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program represents a foundational shift in Air Force combat strategy. The modular Drones are designed to be retrofitted with various payloads to conduct strikes, perform reconnaissance, and execute electronic warfare operations with minimal direction from human pilots.

The uncrewed aircraft will integrate with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor, and the future F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance platform. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, Helfrich emphasized that pairing the drones with crewed fighters allows the service to “extend reach, increase survivability, and generate the mass that is necessary in combat.”

DefenseScoop reported that the Air Force aims to field a minimum of 150 CCA systems by 2030. Long-term projections cited by Air & Space Forces Magazine indicate the service eventually wants approximately 1,000 of the uncrewed aircraft in its fleet.

AirPro News analysis

The June 17 contract awards demonstrate the Air Force’s commitment to decoupling hardware and software acquisition. By selecting airframe manufacturers separately from mission-autonomy providers, the service is enforcing a modular, open-systems architecture. This approach prevents vendor lock-in and allows the military to upgrade software capabilities at the pace of commercial technology development, rather than tying digital upgrades to airframe maintenance cycles.

We also note the aggressive timeline of the CCA program. Moving a clean-sheet combat aircraft from a design contract in April 2024 to a production award in June 2026 is a significant departure from traditional defense procurement timelines. The 15-month span from contract to first flight for the GA-ASI prototype suggests the Air Force is successfully applying rapid prototyping methodologies to field combat mass before the end of the decade.

Sources: U.S. Air Force