A US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot has directed an Anduril YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) during flight for the first time, demonstrating how crewed fighters could command autonomous aircraft during combat missions.
The demonstration took place at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and involved the F-22 sending high-level tactical directives to the YFQ-44A. The Fury’s autonomous systems interpreted the commands and executed maneuvers and simulated combat tasks without requiring the fighter pilot to remotely fly the aircraft.
According to the Air Force, the test demonstrated airborne tactical command and in-flight control between the two aircraft and is intended to reduce the workload involved in operating uncrewed aircraft alongside fighters.
Rather than controlling individual flight parameters, the F-22 pilot could assign objectives and tactical actions. The CCA’s autonomy software then determined how to execute those instructions.
First test with actual CCA
The Air Force had previously demonstrated similar control technology using an aircraft acting as a CCA surrogate. In October 2025, an F-22 directed a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger during a flight at the Nevada Test and Training Range.
That demonstration used the Government Reference Architecture for Collaborative Engagement (GRACE) system and software-defined radios to exchange information and commands between the F-22 and the MQ-20.
The latest test moves the concept to an aircraft developed specifically for the CCA program. The YFQ-44A is Anduril’s Fury, one of two designs selected by the Air Force for the first increment of the program, alongside the General Atomics YFQ-42A.
Both CCA prototypes have already flown alongside crewed fighters during earlier testing. Those flights focused on aircraft integration and operations, while the latest demonstration added direct tactical tasking of the YFQ-44A from the F-22 cockpit.
F-22 chosen for initial integration
The Air Force has designated the F-22 as the initial, or threshold, platform for CCA integration. The fighter is being used to develop the interfaces, software and operational concepts required for pilots to employ autonomous aircraft from the cockpit.
The demonstration involved the 412th Test Wing, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 309th Software Engineering Group, CCA Experimental Operations Unit, F-22 System Program Office and the CCA Software Autonomy and Teaming Branch.
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The CCA program is intended to provide lower-cost autonomous combat aircraft capable of operating alongside crewed fighters. The first increment is centered on air-to-air missions, with the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A being evaluated as the Air Force develops tactics and requirements for operational aircraft.
The technology developed with the F-22 is also intended to inform integration of CCAs with future combat aircraft, including the Boeing F-47, which is being developed under the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance program.
