Meet America’s First Fighter Drones: Anduril’s YFQ‑44A vs. GA‑ASI’s YFQ‑42A — Which One Will Win the Air Force’s CCA Dogfight?

Key facts (read this first)

• Historic firsts: The U.S. Air Force created a new “fighter‑drone” series and officially designated YFQ‑42A (General Atomics) and YFQ‑44A (Anduril) as its first two uncrewed fighters. “Y” means prototype, “F” fighter, “Q” unmanned. “For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ‑42A and YFQ‑44A,” said USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. U.S. Air Force
• Where the program stands (Sept. 20, 2025): YFQ‑42A flew on Aug. 27, 2025 in California, kicking off the formal flight‑test campaign. YFQ‑44A has completed ground testing and is preparing for flight, with the Air Force and Anduril showing a production‑representative prototype on May 1. U.S. Air Force
• Origins: GA‑ASI’s YFQ‑42A grows out of AFRL’s XQ‑67A OBSS effort and the company’s “Gambit” modular family. Anduril’s YFQ‑44A is the Fury line Anduril acquired with Blue Force Technologies in 2023. The War Zone
• Weapons & mission: CCAs begin as air‑to‑air “missile trucks” for fifth‑gen fighters; AMRAAM is the threshold weapon for the initial designs. Flight Global
• Design highlights: YFQ‑42A shows a dorsal inlet, V‑tail, and a ventral internal payload bay; YFQ‑44A (Fury) features a chin inlet and cruciform tail, with earlier, publicly disclosed Fury targets including a Williams FJ44‑4M engine and transonic performance—figures pre‑dating its CCA selection. The War Zone
• Autonomy stacks: GA‑ASI says its autonomy core has been trained for years on the MQ‑20 Avenger; Anduril’s systems are tasked, connected and controlled by Lattice. General Atomics
• Industrial game plan: Both teams are laying European production paths—Anduril with Rheinmetall, GA‑ASI with General Atomics Aerotec Systems in Germany. Flight Global
• Timeline & basing: Early ARU (Aircraft Readiness Unit) operations are slated for Beale AFB; a competitive Increment‑1 production decision is planned for FY‑2026. The War Zone

Why “YFQ” matters

The Air Force didn’t just pick two drones—it created a new chapter in the designation system. The service formally introduced YFQ‑42A and YFQ‑44A to signal an uncrewed fighter class designed from the ground up for combat teaming with crewed aircraft. As Gen. Allvin put it, “For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ‑42A and YFQ‑44A.” U.S. Air Force

The designation explainer from USAF: Y = prototype; F = fighter; Q = unmanned; 42/44 = design numbers; A = first series. The move publicly aligns CCAs with offensive roles, not just sensing. U.S. Air Force

CCA in one page

USAF selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) and Anduril as the two Increment‑1 contractors in April 2024. The service intends to use these low‑cost, modular aircraft to provide “affordable mass” and enhance fifth/sixth‑gen airpower. A production down‑select in FY‑2026 remains the near‑term milestone. Reuters

The Air Force’s near‑term employment concept emphasizes air‑to‑air weapons and teaming with F‑22s and F‑35s. Raytheon has confirmed AMRAAM as the threshold weapon; service officials have repeatedly characterized initial CCAs as airborne missile reserve (“missile trucks”) for stealthy manned fighters. Flight Global

Testing is distributed: vendor testing, independent evaluations at Edwards AFB, plus operational assessments by the Experimental Operations Unit. Beale AFB has been named the preferred home for a CCA Aircraft Readiness Unit (ARU). U.S. Air Force

YFQ‑42A (GA‑ASI): what we know

Flight status & lineage. On Aug. 27, 2025, the YFQ‑42A conducted its maiden flight in California, less than two years after program launch. The design draws heavily on AFRL’s XQ‑67A Off‑Board Sensing Station and GA‑ASI’s modular Gambit concept. U.S. Air Force

Airframe cues. Official imagery and analysis show a dorsal inlet, slender wings, V‑tail, and evidence of a ventral internal payload bay—consistent with an emphasis on reduced signature and internal weapons/sensor carriage. GA‑ASI leadership has discussed the logic of an internal bay, not only for missiles but also for logistics payloads in distributed operations. As GA‑ASI VP Mike Atwood put it: “One of the reasons that GA chose to have an internal weapons bay was for carrying not just missiles and kinetics, but… logistics.” The War Zone

Autonomy & risk‑reduction. GA‑ASI says its autonomy core has been trained over more than five years on the MQ‑20 Avenger, providing a mature baseline for CCA behaviors. “What a great moment for the U.S. Air Force and for GA‑ASI,” added company president David R. Alexander when ground/flight testing milestones were first announced. General Atomics

YFQ‑44A (Anduril “Fury”): what we know

From aggressor to fighter. Anduril’s Fury started at Blue Force Technologies as a high‑performance unmanned aggressor concept; Anduril acquired Blue Force in 2023 and adapted Fury into a multi‑mission CCA. Publicly disclosed pre‑CCA design targets (from Blue Force/Anduril briefings before 2024) included a Williams FJ44‑4M engine, transonic (≈Mach 0.95) performance, and high g‑loads—though final CCA configuration and performance remain undisclosed. Reuters

Prototype revealed, flight pending. On May 1, 2025, the Air Force released the first images of a production‑representative YFQ‑44A and said both CCA designs had entered ground testing. Anduril’s SVP Jason Levin said, “YFQ‑44A delivers highly capable, mass‑producible, and more affordable fighter capability at the speed and scale required to stay ahead of the threat.” The War Zone

Software‑first autonomy. Anduril emphasizes a software‑defined approach: its air systems are “tasked, connected and controlled by Lattice,” the company’s autonomy and command‑and‑control backbone designed to plug in sensors and effectors across domains. Anduril Industries

Production philosophy. Reporting has highlighted Anduril’s drive to leverage commercial components and simplify manufacturability—e.g., choosing a commercial business‑jet engine class and avoiding overly complex landing gear—to push speed and cost advantages into production. Business Insider

Weapons, roles and early TTPs

USAF messaging points to air‑to‑air first: carry AMRAAM internally (where applicable), add sensing, and team with stealth fighters to increase magazine depth and options in contested airspace—“missile truck” as the starting point, with follow‑on variants broadening missions. Flight Global

USAF framed the CCA learning campaign as iterative: vendor ground/flight tests, independent test at Edwards, operational assessments by the Experimental Operations Unit, and a production decision in FY‑2026. “We’re not just moving fast — we’re learning fast,” Gen. Allvin said of the approach. U.S. Air Force

Industrialization & export posture

Both teams are building scalable, sovereign production options for allies:

• Anduril × Rheinmetall: partnership enabling European Fury/YFQ‑44A variants, emphasizing digital sovereignty and rapid, modular production. Flight Global
• GA‑ASI × General Atomics Aerotec Systems (Germany): a European‑built YFQ‑42A derivative with European mission systems and accelerated timelines. Flight Global

Side‑by‑side comparison

Sources: flight status & test plan, basing and FY‑2026 timing; OBSS/Gambit lineage; internal bay cues; Fury background/engine targets; autonomy stacks; European partnerships. Flight Global

Expert voices

• Gen. David W. Allvin, USAF Chief of Staff: “For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ‑42A and YFQ‑44A.” U.S. Air Force
• Gen. David W. Allvin (on rapid learning): “We’re not just moving fast — we’re learning fast.” U.S. Air Force
• David R. Alexander, President, GA‑ASI: “What a great moment for the U.S. Air Force and for GA‑ASI.” General Atomics
• Jason Levin, SVP Air Dominance & Strike, Anduril: “YFQ‑44A delivers highly capable, mass‑producible, and more affordable fighter capability … to stay ahead of the threat.” The War Zone
• Mike Atwood, VP Advanced Programs, GA‑ASI: “One of the reasons [we] chose an internal weapons bay was for carrying not just missiles… but… logistics.” The War Zone

(Each quote is excerpted within the limits of the public sources cited.)

Who has the edge—and where?

• Time to the sky: YFQ‑42A leads—first flight completed and data flowing to refine autonomy, propulsion integration, and bay operations. U.S. Air Force
• Signature & carriage: Imagery and reporting point to YFQ‑42A’s internal bay for cleaner carriage. YFQ‑44A’s final weapons integration approach is not yet public, though earlier Fury configs used external stations. The War Zone
• Speed of iteration: YFQ‑44A leans hard into software‑first, commercial component and manufacturing‑at‑scale philosophies; that can compress iteration cycles if the design proves in flight test. Business Insider
• Modularity & family leverage: YFQ‑42A benefits from the XQ‑67A/Gambit “genus/species” chassis idea that AFRL and GA‑ASI have been maturing in flight since early 2024. AFRL
• Exportability: Both teams have credible European production pathways—Rheinmetall (Anduril) vs GA Aerotec Systems (GA‑ASI)—setting conditions for allied uptake if USAF green‑lights production. Flight Global

What to watch next

1. YFQ‑44A first flight: The gating milestone that will illuminate handling qualities, propulsion margins, and autonomy behaviors in the real world. The War Zone
2. Weapons integration: AMRAAM is the threshold; watch for IRST/sensor fits and how each design balances bay volume vs. signature vs. agility. Flight Global
3. Ops concepts at Beale/Edwards: How the ARU model and EOU assessments translate into aircraft utilization rates and manpower models may become a discriminator. U.S. Air Force
4. FY‑2026 down‑select: USAF has signaled a competitive production decision in FY‑2026; cost, learning velocity, and demonstrated reliability will weigh heavily. U.S. Air Force

Sources & further reading (selected)

• USAF: Designation announcement; what Y/F/Q mean; Allvin’s remarks. U.S. Air Force
• USAF: YFQ‑42A first flight, test phasing, Edwards/EOU, FY‑2026 decision. U.S. Air Force
• War Zone: First look at YFQ‑44A, ground test kickoff; ARU basing at Beale; Anduril/GA‑ASI statements. The War Zone
• War Zone: First look at YFQ‑42A, internal bay cues; Atwood quote on bay logistics. The War Zone
• AFRL/GA‑ASI: XQ‑67A first flight (OBSS), background for YFQ‑42A. AFRL
• FlightGlobal: CCAs as air‑to‑air “missile trucks”; AMRAAM as threshold weapon; European production plans for both teams. Flight Global
• Reuters: 2024 down‑select to GA‑ASI and Anduril. Reuters
• Anduril: Fury product page; Lattice control and autonomy environment. Anduril Industries
• War Zone (background): Rise of Fury—pre‑CCA Fury targets (engine, g‑loads, performance) for historical context. The War Zone

Editor’s note: Many performance specifics remain unreleased. Technical points such as detailed speed, range, sensor fits, and weapon counts should be treated as provisional until validated by official test releases or flight‑test data. Where older Fury figures are referenced, they are clearly marked as pre‑CCA disclosures. The War Zone