The US Air Force awarded production contracts to GA-ASI and Anduril for the production of FQ-42 and FQ-44 collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) per Increment 1.
The CCA Increment 1 programme is going towards the production phase, with the two contenders having been simultaneously awarded contracts to transition from prototype to production phase.
GA-ASI has been testing YFQ-42, developed from X-67, while Anduril pitched YFQ-44, originally designed by Blue Force Technologies. The CCAs will enter service as FQ-42 and FQ-44 in their production iterations.
In terms of characteristics, YFQ-42 takes a form that prioritises endurance with a high aspect ratio and also sports a form with reduced RCS thanks to an angled lower body, top-mounted intake, and V-tail conforming to the lower body profile.
YFQ-44, due to the initial design before Anduril leadership focusing on an unmanned aggressor for training, focuses on high speed and agility with low aspect ratio wings with high sweep.
Both unmanned combat aircraft will have two external hardpoints to carry AIM-120 AMRAAM and possibly AIM-260 air-to-air missiles. Additionally, they are understood to have a housing for small radars or electronic warfare systems.
Other CCA Developments
However, GA-ASI and Anduril are not the only firms pitching CCA solutions. Northrop Grumman has pitched Talon with a similar layout to YFQ-42, while Lockheed Martin has pitched the flying wing Vectis.
Vectis stands out from the other three CCA designs as something closer to a fighter in terms of payload and seemingly low observability. In addition to onboard radar, Vectis will also feature internal weapon bays, which make it more compatible to operate alongside low-observable fighters. Thus, it can be regarded as closer to Turkish KIZILELMA and the upcoming MQ-28 Block 3 of Boeing Australia in terms of design philosophy, which prioritises being able to keep up with a fighter’s combat performance and low observability while being more complex compared to Increment 1 CCAs.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
