US Air Force Fires First Live Missile From YFQ-44A Wingman Drone

The US Air Force fired an AIM-120 missile from Anduril’s YFQ-44A autonomous wingman drone for the first time over the Mojave Desert.

The US Air Force has fired a weapon from a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) for the first time, marking a major milestone in the service’s effort to field autonomous wingman drones.

Conducted over restricted airspace in the Mojave Desert, the live-fire test involved an AIM-120 missile integrated into Anduril’s YFQ-44A. Active-duty personnel, government officials, and industry partners oversaw the event to validate the system’s safety and performance.

The trial followed a series of incremental tests, including flights with representative weapon loads and successful communication between the aircraft and its onboard weapon system to verify command execution before progressing to live munitions.

The air force said the demonstration is the latest step in a rapid testing campaign to advance safe and effective CCA operations.

“This live-fire test is an important next step in the development of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” said US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach. “We’re one step closer to delivering capabilities to the warfighter.”

Human in the Loop

Although CCAs are designed to operate autonomously alongside crewed aircraft, the program keeps humans in control of weapon employment.

Under the concept, a human operator authorizes every weapon release while maintaining command and control throughout the mission.

“These tests provide operational validation that [CCA] can execute the weapon employment sequence autonomously within pilot-defined parameters, accelerating capability delivery to the warfighter,” said Gen. Dale White, US Department of Defense direct reporting portfolio manager for Critical Major Weapon Systems.

Source: Drone Front