The U.S. Air Force has awarded production contracts to Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to build the initial fleet of drone wingmen for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. This marks the first time since the 1970s that new companies outside the traditional defense giants have won a major fighter aircraft production contract, signaling a shift in defense industry dynamics.
The contracts, announced in June 2026, cover the production of the FQ-42A Dark Merlin drone by General Atomics and the FQ-44 Fury drone by Anduril. Both companies have successfully met rigorous mission requirements with their prototype platforms, enabling a move into serial production scheduled to build up to 150 CCA drones by 2030, with a longer-term goal of approximately 1,000 units.
The CCA program aims to deploy these semi-autonomous drone wingmen alongside manned fighter aircraft, increasing combat mass and operational flexibility while reducing risk to human pilots. These drones are designed to operate collaboratively within combat airspaces, leveraging advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous flight to supplement crewed missions.
Notably, the Air Force has separated the development of the drone airframes from the mission autonomy software development, which is being competitively developed by multiple companies including Anduril, Shield AI, and RTX Collins. This approach reduces reliance on a single vendor and fosters innovation in drone autonomy.
The contracts signal a shift in the Pentagon’s procurement approach, with smaller, innovative defense firms now competing successfully against long-established contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. The move toward mass production of these autonomous combat drones is expected to have ripple effects throughout the U.S. aerospace manufacturing supply chain and contribute to workforce development in high-tech manufacturing sectors.
As the U.S. military embraces the future of robotic warfare, the involvement of companies like Anduril and General Atomics in building these advanced drone systems illustrates how emerging technologies and new industrial entrants are shaping modern defense capabilities. The CCA program is poised to strengthen U.S. airpower with scalable, cost-effective, and technologically advanced unmanned systems.
