General Atomics Unveils First YFQ-42A Unmanned Fighter Prototype

General Atomics has built the first working prototype of an unmanned fighter jet, officially named the YFQ-42A, marking a step forward in the U.S. Air Force's plans to integrate autonomous systems into future air operations.

A photograph of the drone prototype was made public by the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, General David Alvin. “As the Department of Defense counters threats under the leadership of the Secretary of Defense, drones are proving to be not only cost-effective, but also truly lethal… Without a doubt, these unmanned fighters will make our adversaries wary!” Alvin said.

The YFQ-42A designation was first revealed by General Alvin during the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 3. He also confirmed the existence of a second prototype, the YFQ-44A, developed by Anduril.

According to the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft designation rules, the name breaks down as follows: Y for prototype, F for fighter, and Q for unmanned. Once the drone enters production, the “Y” will be dropped from the name.

“We have two prototype joint-base combat aircraft that existed on paper less than a couple of years ago,” Alvin said in March. “For the first time in our history, we have fighter designations for the YFQ-42 Alpha and YFQ-44 Alpha—maybe it’s just symbolic, but it tells the world that we’re moving into a new chapter in air warfare.”

The YFQ-42A is being developed under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. These drones are intended to fly in coordination with crewed fighter jets, including the F-35 Lightning II, serving as armed wingmen or performing reconnaissance missions.

General Atomics stated that the YFQ-42A will play a key role in future air dominance: “The YFQ-42A will be critical to ensuring air superiority for the Joint Forces in future conflicts, utilizing autonomous capabilities and interoperability between crew and unmanned aerial vehicles to defeat enemy threats in challenging environments.”

Technical details about the YFQ-42A remain undisclosed. However, it is believed to be based on the XQ-67A, an earlier experimental drone by General Atomics that completed its maiden flight in March 2024.

The U.S. Air Force plans to field more than 150 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2029. These systems are expected to operate alongside both current and next-generation fighter jets, supporting missions across a range of combat and surveillance scenarios.