The US Navy has officially contracted General Atomics to put forward conceptual designs for a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) capable of operating from an aircraft carrier.
This decision follows the company’s ongoing competition with Anduril to deliver a CCA to the US Air Force in which the two were down selected back in April 2024.
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Airforce Technology reviewed the two production aircraft – the YFQ-42A and Fury – and spoke with both suppliers at the the Royal International Air Tattoo and Paris Air Show respectively earlier this year. Notably, General Atomics told this reporter at the time that they plan to produce their CCA in Germany for the European market.
The Air Force contract, however, is for the development of a large uncrewed aircraft (UAS), powered by a jet engine, which can fly alone or alongside new and existing crewed fighter jets. The service require up 1,000 CCAs, a number derived by projecting the use of two for each of the 500 advanced fighters to come.
Produced in high quantities at relatively low cost, CCAs let commanders shift risk away from human flight crews, enhance the sensing and other capabilities of legacy aircraft formations, increase lethality of the air wing, and maximize operational flexibility across the board.
However, the alternative naval contract specifies a requirement for a carrier capable CCA. Furthermore, General Atomics emphasise the modular approach to platform selection, capable of being rapidly reconfigured and upgraded to meet changing mission requirements.
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By GlobalData“No one has more experience than we do with unmanned combat aircraft and we’re leveraging that to help the Navy get this capability onto the flight deck fast,” said the company president, David Alexander.
While General Atomics have developed more than 24 drone types, it was Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray, an air refueling drone, that was the first operational carrier-based UAS in the world according to the Navy.
Just as there had been for the Air Force, the Navy will likely select several companies to design the carrier air wing UAS. It is worth noting that Lockheed Martin issued a press release toward the end of September promoting the survivability of its own CCA, known as Vectis, which is said to provide an “ultra-competitive speed and price point”.
Meanwhile, Breaking Defense first reported that the Navy has already tapped Anduril, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman for the same purpose, although none of this has been confirmed by the Department of Defense (War) or the supposed participants.
