Air system · Autonomous Combat Aircraft
YFQ-42A
Collaborative Combat / Air-to-Air / Strike / Electronic Attack
Also known as: YFQ-42A / Anduril CCA / Anduril autonomous fighter / Anduril collaborative combat aircraft
YFQ-42A overview
The YFQ-42A is Anduril Industries' entry into the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program — a platform that, if selected for production, would represent the first major autonomous combat aircraft awarded to a company founded just eight years before the contract competition. Anduril's approach to the CCA challenge was shaped by the company's origins in Silicon Valley software culture rather than traditional defense manufacturing: where legacy primes optimized their designs around hardware performance metrics, Anduril built the YFQ-42A around its proprietary Lattice AI operating system, treating the airframe as a sensor and weapons node in a larger autonomous battle network rather than a standalone aircraft. The result is an unmanned combat platform with a blended wing-body configuration, a single turbofan engine providing supersonic capability, and an open-architecture mission system designed to receive software updates and new mission profiles through secure over-the-air distribution — the same model used by Tesla and Rivian to continuously improve vehicle capability after delivery, applied to a military combat aircraft for the first time. The airframe is designed for a flyaway unit cost significantly below legacy fighters, with Anduril publicly targeting a price point that would allow the USAF to sustain losses in contested operations without prohibitive replacement cost.
The YFQ-42A's Lattice integration gives it autonomous capabilities that go substantially beyond autopilot or pre-programmed mission execution. Using onboard sensor fusion — combining radar, electro-optical/infrared, electronic warfare receivers, and datalink inputs — the Lattice system builds a real-time tactical picture, assesses threats, identifies opportunities, and proposes or autonomously executes maneuvers within commander-defined rules of engagement. In a multi-ship CCA formation, each YFQ-42A shares its sensor picture with its wingmen and with crewed F-35 or F-22 aircraft through a mesh networking architecture that creates collective awareness far exceeding any single platform. The Lattice system's 'autonomy stack' has already been validated in ground operations with Anduril's Ghost 4 sUAS and Roadrunner interceptor, providing a degree of operational credibility that newer entrants to the autonomous systems market cannot claim. Anduril has also emphasized the YFQ-42A's modular payload architecture: the internal bay is designed for rapid reconfiguration between air-to-air, air-to-ground, electronic attack, and ISR configurations within hours at a forward operating base.
As of 2025–2026, the YFQ-42A is in active head-to-head competition with GA-ASI's YFQ-44A Fury at Eglin Air Force Base. Congressional interest in the CCA program has been intense, with both the Senate Armed Services Committee and House Armed Services Committee conducting oversight hearings on autonomous aircraft safety, legal compliance, and industrial base implications of a 1,000+ aircraft production contract. Anduril's 2025 flight test results demonstrated exceptional autonomous mission management performance, particularly in communications-denied scenarios where the YFQ-42A continued executing complex multi-target missions without any datalink contact for extended periods — a direct validation of the Lattice autonomy stack's design intent. The company's partnership with Northrop Grumman for airframe manufacturing provides production credibility alongside the software differentiation, and as of early 2026 Anduril is widely assessed by defense analysts as a co-favorite with GA-ASI heading into the final source selection decision.
Armament
2–4 AIM-120D AMRAAM or precision strike munitions in internal bay; modular electronic attack payload
Development and operational timeline
- Anduril Industries begins YFQ-42A concept development in response to USAF CCA requirements
- Anduril awarded CCA increment 1 development contract; YFQ-42A designation confirmed alongside GA-ASI YFQ-44A
- Lattice AI integration architecture for YFQ-42A finalized; Northrop Grumman named airframe manufacturing partner
- YFQ-42A first flight completed; Lattice autonomous mission management system successfully tested in flight
- Multi-ship autonomous coordination test: three YFQ-42As share sensor data and coordinate attack timing without human input
- Communications-denied autonomous mission test: YFQ-42A executes multi-target strike profile with zero datalink contact for 45 minutes
- Head-to-head fly-off evaluation with YFQ-44A Fury begins at Eglin AFB
- Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on CCA autonomy, legal compliance, and industrial base; Anduril and GA-ASI testify
- USAF CCA source selection phase enters final assessment; Anduril assessed as co-favorite for production contract covering 1,000+ aircraft