Overview
- The Air Force said government-owned autonomous software has been integrated on both prototype collaborative combat aircraft using the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture.
- General Atomics reported a multi-hour semi-autonomous YFQ-42A flight with Collins Aerospace’s Sidekick autonomy, executing ground-operator commands for more than four hours.
- Anduril said it has integrated Shield AI’s autonomy on the YFQ-44A and expects to fly with that software very soon.
- Air Force acquisition leader Col. Timothy Helfrich said verifying A‑GRA across partners supports a competitive ecosystem where the best algorithms can be rapidly deployed on any compliant platform.
- The CCA program, begun with 2024 awards to General Atomics and Anduril and initial tests in 2025, aims to field at least 1,000 drone wingmen for strike, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and decoy missions.