Anduril rolls out first YFQ-44A unmanned aircraft for US Air Force CCA program

Published Jul 28, 05:31 PM UTC

Anduril's first YFQ-44A, a semi-autonomous unmanned aircraft for the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, rolled off the production line at its Arsenal-1 facility in Pickaway County, Ohio, on Monday, just four months after production began. The $1 billion, 5-million-square-foot facility near Rickenbacker International Airport is expected to create 4,000 jobs. This milestone follows the Air Force's first-ever live-fire test with the CCA, where the YFQ-44A executed a beyond-line-of-sight strike using an inert AIM-120 missile. The Air Force also completed an Agile Combat Employment exercise at Creech AFB, Nevada, to develop tactics for integrating unmanned systems with manned platforms. Air Force officials emphasized that human operators retain control over munitions deployment. The service has awarded CCA contracts to Anduril and General Atomics, with plans for 100-150 aircraft in the first increment and a long-term goal of 1,000 CCAs. The production line can build up to 150 aircraft annually.