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As part of an exercise run at Creech Air Force Base, the United States Air Force (USAF) trialled the new YFQ-44A Fury collaborative combat drone in the Nevada desert. The aim was to push forward the integration of uncrewed aircraft with crewed fighters and to validate operating concepts for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme.
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Creech Air Force Base hosted new operational trials
The trials were conducted by the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Experimental Operations Unit, established by the USAF to speed up the development of Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) concepts. Creech Air Force Base already has extensive experience with uncrewed systems, as it is home to the 432nd Wing, which operates MQ-9A Reaper drones, as well as the RQ-170 Sentinel.
Across the exercise, the unit flew multiple sorties intended to verify platform reliability, extend their operational reach, and link them with crewed aircraft in a realistic flight environment. The activity also enabled a range of scenarios to be rehearsed, helping shape future tactics, techniques, and procedures for bringing CCA into the force structure.
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The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Ken Wilsbach, set out the programme’s strategic significance. “Air superiority in today’s increasingly contested environments requires the rapid fielding of affordable mass. CCA are essential to this effort. By integrating uncrewed systems to fly alongside our aviators, we extend reach and increase combat capability,” he said.
The YFQ-44A Fury and the YFQ-42 took part in the flights
Images released by the Air Force confirmed that operations included both the YFQ-44A Fury, developed by Anduril Industries, and the YFQ-42A, produced by General Atomics. According to official information, the activities began on 21 July and were focused on assessing how these aircraft could be used in distributed operations under the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept.
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jensen, commander of the Experimental Operations Unit, underlined that the central purpose was to move these capabilities beyond a purely test setting and into an operational context. “This exercise was about putting the systems in the hands of the warfighter. We focused on operating CCA outside a traditional test environment so we can keep learning, gain insight, and move quickly through continuous improvements,” he noted.
The trials were also monitored by personnel from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) as part of a new fast-track assessment method. The organisation’s commander, Brigadier General Jesse Friedel, said exercises of this kind make it possible to gather and analyse data that supports decisions on bringing CCA into service before traditional evaluation processes are completed.
Serial production of the YFQ-44A continues to move forward
Alongside the ongoing operational work, the programme is also progressing on the industrial side. Anduril Industries recently confirmed that the first YFQ-44A Fury built at its Arsenal-1 plant in Ohio has come off the assembly line, while General Atomics has begun producing the first YFQ-42A. These milestones sit alongside the wider development of the CCA programme and support the USAF’s objective of fielding a new generation of collaborative combat drones able to operate alongside crewed aircraft in future combat scenarios.
Images sourced from the United States Air Force (USAF).
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