Anduril’s YFQ-44A completes test flight with Hivemind from Shield AI

The US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme is continuing apace. Recent trials with the YFQ-44A from Anduril and YFQ-42A from General Atomics have demonstrated autonomous flight. But one entrant appears slightly further ahead than the other. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on March 3, 2026.

Anduril’s YFQ-44A has completed a set of flight trials with the Hivemind autonomy stack, according to a February 26 press release. Working together with Shield AI, the CCA conducted a series of autonomous flight tests. They included an in-air switch to flight control through Anduril’s Lattice autonomy software. 

“Hivemind successfully completed all test points required to demonstrate full integration and mission autonomy,” the Shield AI press release adds. The software stacks were tested against specific “test cards” that represent future Concepts of Operations (CONOPs)—essentially real-world mission maneuvers and logic rather than just basic flight stability. This milestone paves the way for the next phase of testing, which will include multi-ship flights and integration with crewed fighter jets.

Shield AI was only announced that it had been selected to provide its autonomy stack in early February. In that sense, the tests do suggest that a rapid pace of development is underway.

• Hivemind Technology Selected for Air Force Program – Calibre Defence 
• YFQ-42A enters flight tests with USAF | Calibre Defence 

The YFQ-42A from General Atomics has already flown in a mixed formation. Using the Sidekick autonomy software from Collins Aerospace, the aircraft flew autonomously for four hours earlier this year. The test also “paired uncrewed aircraft with crewed fighter jets to enhance sensor range,” the February 20 press release states. However, there was a ground operator involved, leading to the flight being described as semi-autonomous.

The US is aiming to implement Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA), which will provide a universal standard for autonomy software. However, given that Collins Aerospace is providing the autonomy for the YFQ-42A, the competition for that architecture is presumably open.

Calibre comment: The challenge with CCAs

Both General Atomics and Anduril are notably behind Baykar Technologies and Boeing Australia in the maturity of their designs. The Turkish and Australian companies have both conducted air-to-air interceptions with their CCAs and some elements of formation flight. This generally indicates that they are at least further ahead in testing their platforms and autonomy stacks.

However, there is a long way to go to get CCAs into service. The hurdles are both technical and operational. For instance, is a CCA a weapon or an aircraft, who is responsible for maintaining them and moving them around? This is to say nothing of integrating them into a mixed formation with crewed platforms. So, these trials must be seen as the very early days of CCA development, with a lot of work to come before they can enter service. And that is assuming that they successfully demonstrate their capabilities. 

• Germany to buy Joint Strike Missile for F-35 – Calibre Defence 
• Kizilelma: Turkey hits major air combat milestones – Calibre Defence 
• MQ-28 Ghost Bat Achieves Interoperability with E-7A Wedgetail – Calibre Defence 

With that in mind, it is important to pay attention to developments in conventional airpower. Announcements like Denmark’s recent decision to buy more air-to-air missiles, or Germany’s Joint Strike Missile procurement, for example. These are the markers of airpower for the time being, and will likely continue to be so for the next decade. The question is whether or not CCAs distract countries from focusing on the crewed airpower that can be so effective.

The lead image is a collage showing the YFQ-44A on the top and YFQ-42A on the bottom. The top image was provided by Anduril, the bottom by Collins Aerospace.