An Air Force Drone Wingman Has Started Flying with Weapons

Air Force flight tests drone wingman carrying (inert) weapons, competitors reveal new names

Anduril’s YFQ-44A drone wingman under development for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program has begun testing flights with a missile underwing, according to an Air Force press release.

An Air Force drone wingman has started flying with weapons

Anduril’s collaborative combat aircraft began “captive carry" testing last month.

US Air Force Unveils Armed YFQ-44A: Is the “Loyal Wingman” the (Effective) Future of Air Combat? - Economic Scenarios

Air warfare is changing its face and, above all, its cost structure. On February 23, 2026, the US Air Force released the first official photograph of the new YFQ-44A Fury "hunting drone, " produced by Anduril, during a flight test carrying an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile. We are finally seeing what will most likely be the heart of the US Air Force of the future taking shape. The test took place at a California facility (presumably the South…

Autonomous Air Force Fighter Drones Are Being Put to the Test

The U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program—which aims to procure about 1,000 autonomous aircraft to serve as “loyal wingmen” to crewed fighter jets—is reaching new heights in 2026. The two aircraft selected by the branch for testing and evaluation under the first CCA phase or “increment”—General Atomics’ (GA-ASI) YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury—both achieved new milestones this year after first taking flight …

USAF begins weapons integration on Collaborative Combat Aircraft ...

The US Air Force (USAF) has started integrating weapons onto its Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes, with the Anduril YFQ-44A now conducting captive carry tests with inert missiles as the autonomous tactical aircraft programme progresses towards a selecting a competition winner by late 2026.

USAF reveals YFQ-44A carrying AIM-120 in CCA weapons integration tests

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has released the first official image of Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury collaborative combat aircraft… The post USAF reveals YFQ-44A carrying AIM-120 in CCA weapons integration tests appeared first on Air Data News.