The United States Air Force has begun a new phase of testing with its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), bringing the YFQ-44 Fury to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
For the first time, the combat drone developed by Anduril is operating from the main US facility dedicated to unmanned aircraft. It will soon be joined by the YFQ-42 Dark Merlin from General Atomics, allowing both aircraft to take part in joint operational evaluations.
The trials are part of an exercise based on the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, which seeks to validate the ability of these aircraft to operate from remote bases with limited infrastructure, reduced logistical requirements, and rapid mobility between different locations. During the activities, US military personnel conduct both ground operations and flights, while specialists from the Royal Netherlands Air Force observe the tests to monitor the development of tactics and cooperation between human operators and autonomous systems.
More than simply evaluating combat performance, the exercises focus on addressing challenges related to maintenance, logistics, integration with crewed aircraft, and the development of procedures that will allow the drones to be incorporated into the Air Force’s operational routine.
The experience gained will be compared with the results recently obtained during the Valiant Shield exercise in the Pacific, when the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone was used in similar tests.
The CCA program is considered one of the United States Air Force’s main initiatives to expand its combat capabilities against technologically advanced adversaries such as China. The YFQ-44 Fury has already reached an important milestone by becoming the first aircraft in the program to launch an air-to-air missile. The new tests now aim to consolidate the use of these platforms in realistic scenarios, paving the way for their future employment in military operations.
Anduril Fury YFQ-44A (25-1003) looks to be headed to Creech!
Its chase Learjet 35 (N721EC) is nearby, too.https://t.co/biIb56pC6l pic.twitter.com/sPDwRowNUV
— Parker A. (@Parker_008) July 21, 2026
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Source: The War Zone | Photos: DVIDS | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
