A YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft conducting live-fire testing over the Mojave Desert, Calif. The live-fire test was performed in coordination with the 412th Test Wing’s Air Dominance Combined Test Force, a team consisting of active-duty military, government civilians, and government contractors, who worked to refine and validate the models required for a safe live-fire execution.
The live-fire test of the YFQ-44 aircraft is the latest milestone in the rapid development of safe and effective CCA operations.
“This live-fire test is an important next step in the development of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said. “We’re one step closer to delivering capabilities to the warfighter.”
Mark Shushnar, vice president of autonomous airpower at Anduril, called the test
“an important milestone in turning CCA into an operational capability.”
“This was more than a simple weapons release test,” Shushnar said in the company’s own statement. “It demonstrated an end-to-end, beyond-line-of-sight strike against a simulated target.”
Shushnar said that after Anduril’s CCA took off from Edwards, its autonomous Lattice software received information on the target it was meant to engage. An operator then told the YFQ-44A to strike the target, and the CCA fired the missile as instructed.
The Air Force and Anduril both said the test took place recently but would not specify when.
The Air Dominance Combined Test Force from Edwards’ 412th Test Wing helped carry out the live-fire test, the Air Force said. That test force is made up of Active-Duty military, government civilians, and contractors working to refine and validate the models needed to conduct a safe live-fire test.
In a statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine, General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley said his firm will conduct a live-fire test off its YFQ-42A by the end of 2026.
“Firing weapons from any unmanned aircraft is a huge milestone,” Brinkley said. “That’s something General Atomics pioneered and we’re known for, so we know what it means for everyone involved. Our team remains on schedule to fire from the internal bay of the FQ-42A later this year, and everyone is looking forward to showing more of what our aircraft can bring to the fight.”
Sources: dvids; Air&Space Forces Magazine