Anduril’s Unmanned Fighter YFQ-44A Fires First Missile
Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A, an autonomous combat aircraft designed to fly alongside crewed fighters, conducted its first live weapons-employment exercise in the Nevada desert on July 27, 2026. During the exercise the aircraft fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile at a digital target over the Mojave Desert.
The test is part of the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to field low-cost autonomous platforms to fly alongside crewed fighters. YFQ-44A is one of two selected designs, alongside General Atomics’ YFQ-42A.
The successful firing demonstrates the platform’s maturation from a sensor-carrying drone into a genuine air-to-air weapons system. The Air Force plans for the CCA fleet to reach operational status by the end of the decade.
Source: Defence Blog (Jul 27, 2026, USAF/Anduril statement).
