US Air Force awards GA-ASI production contract for FQ-42A CCA
The FQ-42A is a purpose-built, uncrewed fighter developed as part of ongoing investment in next-generation semi-autonomous combat aircraft.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has received a production contract from the US Air Force (USAF) for the FQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
“Moving to production on FQ-42A is the result of an extraordinary partnership and many years of investments between General Atomics and the US Air Force,” said company President David R. Alexander. “We’ve been preparing for this order, and manufacturing is already well underway.”
The FQ-42A is a purpose-built, uncrewed fighter developed as part of ongoing investment in next-generation semi-autonomous combat aircraft. The aircraft’s modular design enables rapid integration of mission systems and mission autonomy software. GA-ASI’s software architecture, demonstrated through live flight tests on multiple airframes, provides the foundation for human-machine teaming in complex combat scenarios, according to a press release.
GA-ASI was selected by the US Air Force in 2024 to build production-representative flight test articles for the CCA program. The YFQ-42A successfully conducted its maiden flight in August 2025, validating a “genus/species” concept for rapid, modular, and low-cost uncrewed fighter aircraft development previously demonstrated in partnership with US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
