USAF Names GA-ASI’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) as YFQ-42A: SAN DIEGO – March 3, 2025 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has announced that the U.S. Air Force has officially designated its new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) as the YFQ-42A. This designation marks a significant milestone in the development of next-generation uncrewed fighter technology.
The announcement, made during the Air Warfare Symposium, follows the Air Force’s 2024 decision to select GA-ASI to develop and build the YFQ-42A.
“We’re proud to get a new official aircraft designation,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “YFQ-42A continues a long and distinguished history for GA-ASI that dates back to the 1990s and the debut of the RQ-1 Predator, which later changed to MQ-1 Predator. That uncrewed aircraft gave way to the MQ-9A Reaper, the MQ-20 Avenger, our new MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, and many others.”
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The US Air Force has selected the YFQ-42A as the Mission Design Series (MDS) for GA-ASI’s CCA prototype. This new uncrewed jet fighter is planned to be critical in securing air dominance for the Joint Force in future conflicts. The aircraft is designed to leverage autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to counter enemy threats in highly contested environments.
The US Air Force is developing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms to maintain air superiority. The semi-autonomous YFQ-42A is intended to enhance flexibility, affordability, and mission effectiveness. The aircraft is engineered to integrate seamlessly with both current and next-generation crewed aircraft, expanding mission capabilities and ensuring continued air dominance. In essence, the YFQ-42A is designed to provide increased fighter capacity at a reduced cost and on a timeline relevant to current threats.
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The YFQ-42A designation comes after the US Air Force’s designation of GA-ASI’s precursor aircraft as the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station. The XQ-67A was commissioned by the Air Force Research Lab to support the development of concepts essential to the CCA vision.
In the Air Force’s naming system, an “X” designation indicates aircraft designed for testing and experimentation, while “Y” indicates initial production-representative aircraft, preceding a formal program. “F” designates a fighter, and “Q” designates an uncrewed aircraft. Once the production-representative aircraft enters full production, the “Y” prefix will be dropped.
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A one-sixth scale model of the YFQ-42A is on display at the Air Warfare Symposium, held from March 3-5, 2025.
GA-ASI, an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator RPA series and the Lynx Multi-mode Radar. The company has accumulated more than eight million flight hours and provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems.
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