General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) has clinched a contract to manufacture production-ready flight test articles for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre’s (AFLCMC) Advanced Aircraft Division.
This contract award exercises the critical phases of design, construction, and flight testing on the existing CCA contract with GA-ASI, following a successful preliminary design review (PDR) earlier this year.
The CCA program represents a significant leap in aviation technology, aiming to develop a cost-effective, adaptable unmanned aircraft armed with cutting-edge sensors or weapons, operating collaboratively alongside the next generation of manned combat aircraft.
In February 2024, GA-ASI achieved a milestone with the maiden flight of the XQ-67A CCA prototype aircraft, affirming the pioneering “genus/species” concept conceived by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) under the Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing (LCAAPS) program.
According to the firm, this approach involves building multiple aircraft variants from a common core chassis.
Since then, the CCA prototype has completed two additional successful test flights, laying a solid foundation for a robust production and flight test program.
GA-ASI’s design for the production-ready CCA is based on the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station developed for the AFRL.
Mike Atwood, vice president of Advanced Programs for GA-ASI, expressed confidence in the CCA program, stating, “The CCA program redefines the future of aviation and will shape the USAF acquisition model to deliver affordable combat mass to the warfighter at the speed of relevancy.”
David Alexander, president of GA-ASI, emphasised the company’s long-standing commitment to advancing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in support of warfighters.
“The USAF is moving forward with GA-ASI due to our focused commitment to unmanned air-to-air combat operations and unmatched UAS experience, ensuring the production of the CCA aircraft at scale to deliver affordable combat mass for the warfighter,” he noted.
In addition to the CCA contract, GA-ASI will continue conducting autonomy and mission system tests on the MQ-20 Avenger UAS and XQ-67A, expediting the readiness for operational autonomy.
These live flight tests will showcase the full mission capability to support the emerging US Air Force Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP).
