CCA Increment 1
Drone wingmen cheap enough to lose, flying ahead of crewed fighters with extra sensors and weapons.
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ROLE
Uncrewed wingmen that scout, carry extra missiles and absorb the first shots for a crewed fighter.
STRENGTHS
- About a third of the price of an F-35
- Losing some is acceptable by design
- Two competing makers keep the price and schedule honest
WEAKNESSES
- Shorter radius (~700 miles) than the F-47 ties them to bases nearer the fight
- Depends on secure datalinks to the crewed jet
- Not yet proven in combat
General Atomics' FQ-42A and Anduril's FQ-44A Fury, flown as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes, were cleared for production in June 2026, four months ahead of schedule. The Air Force's price goal is around 30 million dollars or less each, about a third of a crewed fighter.
Being wrong cheaply is the whole design: a crewed F-47 or F-35 stays back while expendable wingmen go first, scouting with their own sensors and carrying extra missiles. A human still gives the order to fire.