U.S. Air Force Seeks Companies for Next Generation Semi-Autonomous Fighter Jet
The U.S. Air Force published a Sources Sought notice on July 24, 2026, seeking companies capable of designing and fielding a Next Generation Semi-Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), an uncrewed jet that can fly and fight alongside piloted fighters like the F-35 or F-22 using onboard autonomy and AI. The notice, issued by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, is a market research step with no immediate contract award planned. This effort builds on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, where Increment 1 prototypes (YFQ-42A and YFQ-48A) are already in flight testing and production contracts for 150 aircraft were awarded to Anduril and General Atomics in June 2026. The Air Force aims to field several hundred to 1,000 CCAs by the early 2030s to generate affordable combat mass against adversaries like China. The notice signals the service is looking beyond the first batch to future increments, though specific requirements and timelines remain undisclosed.
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