The US Air Force (USAF) announced the designation of two mission design series (MDS) within its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme on 3 March 2025, with the CCA being developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) being designated the YFQ-42A and the CCA being developed by Anduril being designated the YFQ-44A.
GA-ASI and Anduril were selected by the Department of the Air Force to design, manufacture and test production-representative CCA test articles in April 2024. They will represent the first in a new generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft design to help secure air superiority in future conflicts, leveraging autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested airspace.
“Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” USAF Chief of Staff General David W Allvin was quoted as saying in an air force press release. “They were only on paper less than a couple of years ago, and they are going to be ready to fly this summer.”
The MDS designation provides a standardised framework for identifying and classifying US aircraft, with the ‘Y’ prefix indicating a prototype, the ‘F’ indicating the basic mission is operating as a fighter, the ‘Q’ indicating an unmanned aircraft, the ’42’ and ‘44’ in the designations indicating the design number and the ‘A’ indicating the first model in the series.
“For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A,” Gen Allvin added. “It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare. It means Collaborative Combat Aircraft, it means human-machine teaming. We are developing those capabilities thinking, ‘Mission first’.”
As the USAF continues to work closely with GA-ASI and Anduril to mature the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes through rigorous testing and evaluation, the insights gained from them “will be crucial in shaping the future of the CCA program and solidifying the air force’s position at the forefront of airpower innovation”, the USAF stated.
