Air Force Squadron Carries Out Trials of Anduril's Semi-Autonomous Military Drone
Summary
The U.S. Air Force's Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) recently conducted hands-on flight testing of Anduril's YFQ-44A semiautonomous jet-powered combat drone at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as part of the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Unlike previous drone operations that required a human operator manually controlling the aircraft, the YFQ-44A operates autonomously, with EOU airmen using only a ruggedized laptop to upload mission plans, initiate takeoff, manage in-flight tasking, and handle post-flight data without the need for large, fixed base infrastructure. The exercise demonstrated the drone's ease of maintainability, as a small team of EOU maintainers required only a couple of days of training to successfully turn the aircraft between sorties, handling everything from weapons loading to pre- and post-flight checks. The testing reflects the Air Force's broader push toward "operator-driver experimentation" under its new Warfighting Acquisition System, which embeds frontline operators within the acquisition process to create real-time feedback and accelerate capability development for contested environments. The Air Force, which selected both Anduril and General Atomics in April 2024 to develop drone wingmen, is expected to decide this year which company will advance to full production, with an ultimate goal of fielding a fleet of at least 1,000 CCAs to support manned aircraft such as the F-22, F-35, and F-47.
Key Takeaways
- 1. The YFQ-44A operates fully autonomously with no human manually piloting the aircraft, representing a significant shift from traditional remotely piloted drone concepts
- 2. EOU airmen controlled the drone using only a ruggedized laptop, eliminating the dependency on large, fixed base infrastructure and improving deployment flexibility
- 3. The drone's design prioritizes ease of maintenance, enabling a small, minimally trained crew to service and turn the aircraft between sorties within days
- 4. The exercise is part of the Air Force's Warfighting Acquisition System, which integrates operator feedback directly into the acquisition and development process to reduce risk and speed up capability delivery
- 5. The Air Force plans to field at least 1,000 CCAs to fly alongside manned fighter jets, and a final production decision between Anduril and General Atomics is anticipated later this year