US Air Force expands drone wingman program for tactical development

The US Air Force is increasing its procurement of collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), autonomous drones designed to operate alongside fighter jets like the F-35 and the future Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft.

This decision, announced by Andrew Hunter, the Air Force's Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, is part of an effort to develop operational tactics and procedures for integrating CCAs into real-world combat scenarios, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

CCAs are intended to perform missions such as target strikes, surveillance, and electronic warfare, relieving manned aircraft from certain tasks. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall envisions these drones to be much more affordable than the F-35, which costs between $80 million and $100 million per unit.

The Air Force has already awarded contracts to General Atomics and Anduril Industries to design and test initial models of CCAs, with plans for more advanced versions in the future. Before CCAs can be fully integrated into squadrons, however, the Air Force must first develop effective tactics and operational procedures for their use. The service’s experimental operations unit, tasked with this mission, is collaborating with the Australian military, which has been working on similar drone programs.

To aid in this effort, the Air Force will purchase CCAs from Anduril (Fury) and General Atomics (Gambit) for further experimentation. While the exact number and delivery timeline remain unclear, the program aims to move swiftly. One of the key challenges will be balancing affordability with capability, especially given that these drones are designed to be low-cost and free from the need for human pilots.

The Air Force is also rethinking its approach to evaluating airworthiness for CCAs. Since these drones don’t require pilot protection, they will be subject to less stringent standards than manned aircraft. Both General Atomics and Anduril have passed key design reviews, and flight tests are scheduled for 2025. The results will be crucial for determining which drones will join the Air Force fleet and how production can be scaled for mass deployment.

By Vafa Guliyeva