General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has returned to flight testing for the U.S. Air Force following safety reviews and software changes after an April 6 accident shortly after takeoff, according to GA-ASI. No injuries were reported in the mishap, though the aircraft was lost. The company said the review traced the cause to an autopilot calculation issue involving the aircraft’s weight and center of gravity.
“We’re excited to have YFQ-42A flying again,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “It’s been said that you learn more from your setbacks than your successes. We are applying what we’ve learned to our growing fleet of CCAs, as we continue building the most dependable and cost-efficient unmanned fighters in the world.”
The Air Force selected GA-ASI in April 2024 to build production-representative flight test aircraft for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. The YFQ-42A first flew in August 2025 and is being developed as a semi-autonomous uncrewed aircraft intended to work with crewed platforms. GA-ASI said ground testing and other Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction work continued during the pause in flight testing.
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