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Uncrewed aircraft · Air

FQ-42A

General Atomics Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the US Air Force.

by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems · Unveiled Mar 3, 2025

PrototypeUncrewed aircraftAirContract awardJun 17, 2026
  • Milestones5
  • Operators—
  • Components—
  • Programs—
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Milestones20252026
  1. UnveiledAir Force announces YFQ-42A designation, confirmed
  2. First testYFQ-42A ground testing begins, confirmed
  3. First flightYFQ-42A first flight, confirmed
  4. MilestoneYFQ-42A prototype crashes after takeoff, reported
  5. Contract awardAir Force production contract for the FQ-42A CCA, confirmed

GA-ASI uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (YFQ-42A prototype); ordered into production by the Air Force in June 2026.

Timeline5

  1. UnveiledConfirmed

    Air Force announces YFQ-42A designation

    The U.S. Air Force publicly announced the YFQ-42A Mission Design Series for General Atomics' Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype; the release states the Y prefix is dropped on entering production, giving FQ-42A. The earlier XQ-67A is a separate aircraft.

  2. First testConfirmed

    YFQ-42A ground testing begins

    GA-ASI began ground testing of the YFQ-42A production-representative test vehicle ahead of first flight.

  3. First flightConfirmed

    YFQ-42A first flight

    GA-ASI announced on 27 August 2025 that the YFQ-42A had begun flight testing with the U.S. Air Force, the first CCA prototype to fly.

  4. MilestoneReported

    YFQ-42A prototype crashes after takeoff

    A YFQ-42A prototype crashed shortly after takeoff from a company-owned airport in California; no one was injured and GA-ASI paused flight testing.

  5. Contract awardConfirmed

    Air Force production contract for the FQ-42A CCA

The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.