Overview
- GA-ASI delivered a new FQ-42 Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base on Sept. 18, 2026, where it will join U.S. Air Force test and evaluation work for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
- Company imagery shows an FQ-42 flying in formation with an F-35A and an F-15E, reflecting ongoing trials of crewed-uncrewed teaming though the drones currently fly on their own onboard autonomy stacks.
- Program planners expect live collaborative-control demonstrations that let crewed fighters task CCAs within weeks or months, and the Air Force aims to pick a final autonomy provider by mid-2027.
- GA-ASI says it has a new low-observable paint facility and capacity to produce up to six FQ-42s per month and is using company funds to keep building while awaiting further government appropriations.
- The FQ-42 draws on GA-ASI’s Gambit family and the XQ-67A predecessor to combine a stealthy airframe, internal weapons bay and modular sensors, a design meant to boost survivability and expand air-to-air and air-to-ground roles as the USAF moves toward a 500-CCA fleet by 2032.