GA-ASI adds air-to-ground-capable Gambit 6 CCA to its UCAV portfolio

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) announced on 4 November 2025 that it has added to its Gambit series of unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) the Gambit 6: a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that adds air-to-ground operations to its already proven air-to-air capability.

The multi-role platform is optimised for roles such as electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) and deep precision strike.

“Air forces throughout the world are looking to air-to-ground-capable CCAs to enhance operational capabilities and address emerging threats in a denied environment,” GA-ASI stated. “Gambit 6 is being developed to meet the corresponding need for adaptability, scalability and mission-specific performance.”

GA-ASI President David R Alexander explained that the “modular architecture and signature-reducing internal weapons bay of Gambit 6 allow for easy integration of advanced autonomy, sensors and weapons systems, ensuring the aircraft can adapt to a wide range of operational scenarios”.

Gambit 6 airframes will be available for international procurement from 2027, according to GA-ASI, with European missionised versions deliverable in 2029. GA-ASI is building industry partnerships throughout Europe with the aim of providing sovereign capabilities for all its platforms.

The Gambit series is a modular family of unmanned aircraft designed to meet diverse mission requirements, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); multi-domain combat; advanced training; and stealth reconnaissance. The series is built around a common core platform that accounts for a significant proportion of the aircraft’s hardware, including the landing gear, baseline avionics and chassis. This shared foundation reduces costs, increases interoperability and accelerates the development of mission-specific variants.

Gambit 1 is a nimble sensing platform optimised for long endurance; Gambit 2 adds the provision for air-to-air weapons; Gambit 3 looks much like Gambit 2 but is optimised for a complex adversary air role; Gambit 4 is a combat reconnaissance-focused model with no tail and swept wings; and Gambit 5 is a model for ship-based CCA operations announced by GA-ASI in 2024.

One Gambit derivative is the US Air Force’s YFQ-42A: one of two air vehicles currently being tested by the US Air Force under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme (the other one being the Anduril YFQ-44A). Based off the original Gambit 2 concept, the YFQ-42A, which first flew on 27 August 2025, is designed to complement human-crewed combat aircraft like the F-35 and Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, expanding sensing, weapons capacity and survivability in contested airspace.