Engineering:General Atomics YFQ-42
| YFQ-42 | |
|---|---|
 General Atomics YFQ-42 in a ground test facility | |
| General information | |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems |
| Management and usage | United States Air Force |
| History | |
| First flight | 27 August 2025 |
| Developed from | General Atomics XQ-67A |
The General Atomics YFQ-42 is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) currently under development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The aircraft is one of the winning designs for Increment I of the United States Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program and is intended to augment crewed fighter aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning, and the planned Next Generation Air Dominance fighter for air-to-air missions through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).
Development and design
The YFQ-42 is a member of General Atomics "Gambit" family of UCAVs and derived from the company's XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator built for the Air Force Research Laboratory.[1][2] The design was selected as one of the two winners of the Increment I CCA alongside the Anduril YFQ-44.[3]
A mockup of the design was showcased during a September 2024 Air Force conference; the aircraft's configuration is similar to the XQ-67A but modified for greater speeds and fighter-like maneuverability, with the airframe having an elongated fuselage with slender wings, a dorsal-mounted inlet, a single engine, V-tails, and internal weapons bay. Planned armament is two AIM-120 AMRAAMs.[4][5] The design is expected to provide the USAF with "affordable mass" to augment its crewed fighters in air-to-air missions. Its low cost nature, while not attritable, enables users and commanders to take greater risks with them.[6]
The aircraft received its formal designation during the 2025 Air & Space Forces Association symposium. On 27 August 2025, the United States Air Force and General Atomics announced the YFQ-42A had begun its flight testing.[7]
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Related lists
References
- ↑ Decker, Audrey (23 September 2024). "Dueling robot wingmen take the stage". Defense One. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/09/dueling-robot-wingmen-take-stage/399746/.
- ↑ Insinna, Valerie (25 July 2024). "General Atomics could fly first CCA prototype in mid-2025: Aeronautics president". Breaking Defense. https://breakingdefense.com/2024/07/general-atomics-could-fly-first-cca-prototype-in-mid-2025-aeronautics-president/.
- ↑ Tirpak, John (2024-04-25). "Anduril and General Atomics to Develop New Collaborative Combat Aircraft for Air Force" (in en-US). https://www.airandspaceforces.com/cca-contract-winners-to-be-announced-imminently/.
- ↑ Insinna, Valerie (10 September 2024). "Anduril, General Atomics to showcase drone wingmen models at Air Force conference next week". Breaking Defense. https://breakingdefense.com/2024/09/anduril-general-atomics-to-showcase-drone-wingmen-models-at-air-force-conference-next-week/.
- ↑ D'Urso, Stefano (17 September 2024). "Anduril And General Atomics Showcase Collaborative Combat Aircraft Mockups". The Aviationist. https://theaviationist.com/2024/09/17/anduril-and-general-atomics-showcase-collaborative-combat-aircraft-mockups/.
- ↑ Finnerty, Ryan (19 September 2024). "USAF’s first autonomous combat jets will act as air-to-air ‘missile trucks’ for crewed fighters". FlightGlobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/military-uavs/usafs-first-autonomous-combat-jets-will-act-as-air-to-air-missile-trucks-for-crewed-fighters/160011.article.
- ↑ "Collaborative Combat Aircraft, YFQ-42A takes to the air for flight testing". 27 August 2025. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4287627/collaborative-combat-aircraft-yfq-42a-takes-to-the-air-for-flight-testing/.
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