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 to design, develop, and prototype a Next Generation Semi-Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP). This uncrewed jet aircraft, designed to fly and fight alongside piloted fighters like the F-35 and F-22, uses onboard AI rather than remote human control. 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 does not specify performance requirements or timelines for this follow-on platform.
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