The US Air Force has taken delivery of an FQ-42 Vengeance unmanned aerial system at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, for further testing under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
Built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the fifth-generation combat drone will support evaluations aimed at moving the aircraft toward operational use.
The FQ-42 has an internal weapons bay and low-observable features for missions alongside crewed fighters.
Prior to the delivery, the platform already completed formation flights with F-35 Lightning II and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, laying the groundwork for collaborative operations where human pilots directly manage autonomous wingmen.
GA-ASI previously tested CCA-related capabilities using its MQ-20 Avenger and XQ-67A aircraft as surrogates.
“The CCA program’s rate of progress has been incredible,” said Mike Atwood, vice president of advanced programs at GA-ASI.
“Every week, the Air Force is pushing forward with new and more impressive accomplishments using Vengeance. It’s amazing to think of how far this program has come in such a short amount of time.”
Up to 1,000 CCAs Expected
Selected for the CCA program in 2024, GA-ASI flew the FQ-42 for the first time in August 2025 and received an initial production contract in 2026.
The company recently completed a facility for applying low-observable coatings and has the capacity to produce six aircraft a month.
Washington aims to field 500 combat-ready collaborative aircraft by 2032, with a longer-term goal of up to 1,000.
