Summary

  • General Atomics XQ-67A completed inaugural flight in February, with new video released.
  • XQ-67A is a remotely piloted, AI-capable drone for future collaborative teams.
  • CCA drones not limited to sixth-generation fighters, can complement existing fleets.

As another indication of how work on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) or loyal wingman drones is progressing, on June 26, the Air Force released the first video of the General Atomics XQ-67A’s inaugural flight. While the video is new, the flight is not (that happened in February 2024). General Atomics has long been the prime defense contractor for building US military drones (including the MQ-9 Reaper). Separately, the Air Force was recently awarded a $174 million contract to General Atomics to upgrade existing Reapers.

New video of XQ-67A’s inaugural flight

The new video of the possible future Collaborative Combat Aircraft shows the moment history was made for the futuristic Air Force program. The clip, which lasts 90 seconds, was published by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The video starts by showing the XQ-67A at dawn. It then shows the XQ-67A taking off, flying around for a little bit, and landing back at the airbase.

A General Atomics XQ-67 flying in the sky.

Photo: Air Force Material Command

“The Air Force Research Laboratory successfully flew the first of a second- generation of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms known as the XQ-67A demonstrator, built and flown in the Off-Board Sensing Station, or OBSS, program Feb. 28, 2024.” – Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

The flight took place at the Gray Butte facility in Palmdale, California. Since then, the XQ-67A has completed more test flights; by the time General Atomics released an April 24 press release, it had completed another three test flights.

Related

How Much Does It Cost To Develop US Air Force 6th Generation Fighter Jets?

An individual NGAD fighter is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars dwarfing the cost of an F-35.

The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program takes off

The General Atomics XQ-67A is one of two prototype drones selected by the Air Force to move on to the next stage of development. The other drone is newcomer Anduril’s Fury. The XQ-67A is piloted remotely but is also capable of autonomous flight and will incorporate AI and machine learning.

General Atomics XQ-67

Photo: Air Force Material Command

“The CCA program aims to be a force multiplier, developing a low-cost, modular, unmanned aircraft equipped with advanced sensors or weapons and operating in collaborative teams with the next generation of manned combat aircraft.” – General Atomics

The contrast between the cheap, often commercial, and basic drones seen in Ukraine couldn’t be greater. The XQ-67A is leveraging cutting-edge technology to fight the war of the future against peer adversaries.

While the sixth-generation fighter is envisioned as a system of systems with CCA or loyal wingman drones as a core part of its development, these drones are not only being built for sixth-generation fighters. Airbus is working on developing loyal wingman drones to complement the German Air Force’s existing fleet of 4.5th-generation Eurofighters, suggesting these drones can be paired with existing 4.5th and 5th-generation fighters.

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