US Air Force F-22 Pilot Successfully Controls Unmanned YFQ-44A CCA in Flight

By ASR Newsdesk · 20 Oct 2026, 18:00 UTC

An F-22 Raptor pilot recently demonstrated airborne tactical command and in-flight control of an Anduril-made YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The F-22 pilot acted as an airborne "quarterback," issuing high-level directives that the YFQ-44A's onboard autonomy software interpreted and executed in real time, performing simulated combat tasks. This event is intended to inform future CCA software integration and testing as the Air Force aims to field 1,000 semi-autonomous systems.