General Atomics announced on Monday that ground testing of its YFQ-42A began on May 7, 2024. The collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) is expected to have its first flight this summer.

David Alexander, the president of General Atomics Aeronautics Systems, stated, “The YFQ-42A is an exciting next step for our company. It reflects many years of partnership with the U.S. Air Force in advancing unmanned combat aviation for the United States and its allies around the world, and we’re excited to begin ground testing and move to first flight.”

The announcement follows the U.S. Air Force’s revelation on May 1, 2024, that Anduril Industries’ CCA, the YFQ-44A, has also started its ground testing. Anduril anticipates that its CCA will also begin flight tests this summer.

CCAs are uncrewed, semi-autonomous drones designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft like the F-35 and F-47, also known as Next Generation Air Dominance. Their intended functions include conducting strike operations, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and serving as decoys, thereby expanding the operational reach of the Air Force’s limited fleet of crewed fighters.

In April 2024, the Air Force chose General Atomics and Anduril to design, build, and test the first iteration of CCAs. General Atomics’ YFQ-42A is based on its XQ-67 Off-Board Sensing Station drone, which was tested by the Air Force Research Laboratory in 2024 to explore a “platform sharing” construction concept. This concept allows for drones to be manufactured en masse and at a lower cost using a common chassis.

Anduril’s YFQ-44A, previously known as Fury, utilizes its Lattice operating system for autonomous capabilities. The Air Force has stated that the first CCAs will have a combat radius exceeding 700 nautical miles and stealth characteristics comparable to those of the F-35. The Air Force aims to acquire at least 1,000 CCAs.

Additionally, the Air Force plans to establish its first CCA aircraft readiness unit at Beale Air Force Base in California, which will maintain the aircraft in a “fly-ready status” for rapid deployment. The unit is expected to require fewer support personnel than those needed for crewed aircraft, given the reduced frequency of flights for CCAs.

However, the future of both Anduril’s and General Atomics’ CCAs in the Air Force fleet remains uncertain, as the service plans to decide next year which of the CCAs will proceed to production and develop the next “increment” of the drones.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News, with prior experience covering U.S. Air Force operations in the Middle East and various military issues.