A crewed US Air Force fighter and an uncrewed jet-powered aircraft flew together recently, communicating and showing how autonomous drones might fight in a future air war alongside human pilots.
US defense firm General Atomics, a competitor in the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Program aimed at developing and fielding loyal wingman-type drones, said on Monday that its MQ-20 Avenger, long a CCA stand-in, flew with an F-22 Raptor.
During the test at Edwards Air Force Base earlier this month, the stealth fighter’s pilot commanded the test drone to carry out tactical maneuvers, perform combat air patrols, and execute airborne threat engagement tasks.
The most recent demonstration is an advancement of a similar test in November 2025, when an F-22 pilot used a tablet to control an MQ-20, a test aircraft being used to demonstrate CCA-style teaming. The tablet allowed the pilot to communicate with the drone and send commands during flight.
The flight test earlier this month saw the Raptor pilot use government-provided autonomy software on the F-22 and a tactical data link to pass commands in real time to the drone.
“This demo featured the integration of mission elements and the ability of autonomy to utilize onboard sensors to make independent decisions and execute commands from the F-22,” David Alexander, the president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., said in a statement.
US Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. John Macera
General Atomics said the latest demonstration showed how CCA-type platforms could increase the combat power available to human pilots in a future war.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is a priority for the Air Force as a way to bolster American airpower. These drones are meant to fly alongside advanced fighters, including the coming sixth-generation F-47 being developed by Boeing.
Air Force officials say CCAs aren’t disposable, but they’re cheaper than fighters like the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. They are built to be attritable so they can be risked in combat instead of a human-piloted aircraft.
Testing with the MQ-20 is helping inform the Air Force’s CCA program, which is focused on General Atomics’ YFQ-42, Anduril’s YFQ-44, and Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A. The air service envisions these systems as easily upgradable platforms compatible with high-end crewed aircraft.
CCA-type drones, which include designs beyond those with dedicated Air Force program designations, are designed to carry out missions on their own, from air-to-air combat to strike and intelligence roles, while also boosting the power of a formation by adding more sensors and weapons without another pilot in the cockpit.
The Air Force says that CCAs are not intended as replacements for its crewed jets but are rather partners that will change how pilots work with artificial intelligence and drones — and expand US airpower in a fight, especially against a near-peer adversary.
