Anduril's YFQ-44A Fires First Air-to-Air Missile From a US Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Overview

The U.S. Air Force and Anduril Industries confirmed on July 15, 2026 that the YFQ-44A, Anduril’s semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), fired an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) at a simulated target during a test over the Mojave Desert — the first missile launch from any U.S. CCA-type drone, according to The War Zone. The test was flown out of Edwards Air Force Base, California, with the 412th Test Wing’s Air Dominance Combined Test Force overseeing the mission, as reported by The War Zone.

What We Know

• The Air Force and Anduril both confirmed the test on July 15, 2026, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine and DefenseScoop.
• The launch marks the first time an AIM-120 AMRAAM has been fired from any U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to The War Zone.
• The event follows a phased test progression: the Air Force had announced in February 2026 that the CCA program entered weapons integration and captive-carry testing, releasing a photo of a YFQ-44A carrying an inert AIM-120 at that time, according to The War Zone.
• Air Force Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the Air Force Chief of Staff, said, “This live-fire test is an important next step in the development of Collaborative Combat Aircraft. We’re one step closer to delivering capabilities to the warfighter,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
• Gen. Dale White, the Pentagon’s direct reporting portfolio manager for the Air Force’s critical major weapon systems, said the test provides “operational validation that Collaborative Combat Aircraft can execute the weapon employment sequence autonomously within pilot-defined parameters, accelerating capability delivery to the warfighter,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
• Mark Shushnar, Anduril’s Vice President of Autonomous Airpower, said, “This was more than a simple weapons release test. It demonstrated an end-to-end, beyond-line-of-sight strike against a simulated target,” according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
• The YFQ-44A used Anduril’s Lattice software to identify and track the simulated target and calculate an intercept course, with a human operator retaining authority to authorize the missile’s release, according to New Atlas.
• Even though the CCA drones are semi-autonomous and unmanned, “the decision to release any [weapon] remains with a human operator who has command and control of the platform at all times,” according to Military Times.
• The YFQ-44A is one of two aircraft in Increment 1, the first phase of the Air Force’s CCA program; the other is General Atomics’ YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, which as of the test had not been seen carrying a munition, inert or live, and which the Air Force and General Atomics have said is on track for its own live-fire launch later this year, according to The War Zone.
• The Air Force announced production orders for both the YFQ-44A and YFQ-42A the month before the missile test, which will form a mixed initial operational CCA fleet, according to The War Zone.
• The service aims to field at least 150 of the CCA drones by the end of the decade, according to DefenseScoop.

What We Don’t Know

Reports differ on one detail: Military Times reported that an Air Force spokesperson described the AIM-120 fired in this test as inert, while other outlets characterized the shot as the program’s first live missile launch. The exact date the missile was actually fired, as distinct from the July 15 confirmation date, has also not been consistently reported.

Analysis

The test is a milestone for the Air Force’s push to field autonomous “loyal wingman” drones alongside crewed fighters. With both Increment 1 designs now in production orders and Anduril’s aircraft having demonstrated a full targeting-to-launch sequence, the program’s next major test will be whether General Atomics’ YFQ-42A can match the milestone later this year, according to The War Zone.