General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has begun ground testing of the YFQ-42A, a production-representative test vehicle for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
Ground testing began May 7 in preparation for the aircraft’s planned first flight later this summer.
The YFQ-42A represents the third uncrewed jet type developed by GA-ASI. The internally funded MQ-20 Avenger made its first flight in 2009 and has since completed more than 40,000 flight hours, currently serving as a jet-powered CCA surrogate for autonomy development and critical advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning integration.
The XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) jet made its first flight in 2024, the result of years of partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to design an autonomous collaborative platform with a common chassis or “genus” that could pivot quickly to multiple missions, and different aircraft “species.” The XQ-67A’s platform-sharing approach leverages best practices from the automotive industry to create a system design with lower cost and faster build in mind.
GA-ASI President David R. Alexander, stated, “The YFQ-42A is an exciting next step for our company. It reflects many years of partnership with the U.S. Air Force of advancing unmanned combat aviation for the United States and its allies around the world, and we’re excited to begin ground testing and move to first flight.”
GA-ASI has developed over two dozen uncrewed aircraft types and delivered more than 1,200 units to customers. The company manufactures over 100 aircraft annually at its 5 million-square-foot facility in Poway, California. Its fleet has accumulated nearly 9 million flight hours globally, with more than 50 GA-ASI aircraft typically in operation at any given time.
