Weapons Systems
In a historic achievement, Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully executed a force integrated air-to-air autonomous weapon engagement from an MQ-28 Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The landmark mission involved an MQ-28 Ghost Bat teaming with a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail and F/A-18F Super Hornet to destroy a
CCA
* Northrop Grumman unveiled Project Talon, an autonomous aircraft built to fly alongside manned fighters. As the latest addition to the company’s elite autonomous portfolio, Project Talon represents a paradigm shift in air dominance as an adaptive, collaborative teammate for combat missions. Project Talon combines greater mission versatility with the
CCA
* General Atomics Aeronautical Systems was at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates during November to showcase its YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The company is currently undertaking a tour of the Middle East that’s designed to build upon the strong interest it sees in the region for
Testing
* Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, with industry partners and the U.S. Air Force, controlled an unmanned aerial system (UAS) from the cockpit of a 5th Gen fighter while in flight. During the flight out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, an F-22 Raptor pilot successfully used an open interface in
Testing
The Spanish consortium SATNUS, formed by GMV, Sener and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, has recently completed the third flight test campaign of the FCAS/NGWS program, successfully validating the Manned-Unmanned Teaming & Common Systems Demonstrator (MCSD), a platform based on a modified target drone. The campaign included solo flights of the platform,
CCA
A full-size model of the YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) for the U.S. Air Force will be on display November 17−21 at the Dubai Airshow. The exciting new unmanned fighter jet has captured the attention of the global military aviation
Testing
On October 21, 2025, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. , Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Technologies collaborated on a flight test that successfully demonstrated Manned-Unmanned Teaming using an F-22 Raptor fighter jet and a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet. The effort integrated L3Harris’ BANSHEE Advanced Tactical Datalinks with its Pantera software-defined radios
Propulsion
* GE Aerospace is developing a small turbofan engine for midsized Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) that are now in high demand by militaries worldwide, Chief Financial Officer Rahul Ghai said on November. 11. The new engine would fill a gap between the 800-1,500-lb.-thrust family of engines now being developed
Propulsion
* GE Aerospace and Shield AI have agreed to collaborate on propulsion technologies for Shield AI’s new X-BAT vehicle program. Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the F110-GE-129 engine, featuring the advanced Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN), has been selected to power the X-BAT. GE Aerospace will provide propulsion and
CCA
The latest iteration of the innovative Gambit Series of unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is Gambit 6, a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that adds air-to-ground operations to its already proven air-to-air capability. The multi-role platform is optimized for roles such as electronic warfare,
CCA
* General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will participate in the upcoming 25th anniversary of the International Fighter Conference as the event’s only Four-Star Lead Partner, reflecting the company’s global commitment to the future of autonomous fighter jets. GA-ASI’s growing production fleet of unmanned combat jets – including the
Testing
* Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft took to the sky Oct. 31, the Air Force announced. The service also confirmed that a production decision on the CCA program is still expected in fiscal 2026, despite the ongoing government shutdown. In a release announcing the first flight, the Air Force did