Anduril's YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft Completes First Flight
Anduril announced on 31 October 2025 that its YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) successfully completed its first flight, marking the start of its flight-testing phase.
Development and Flight Details
The YFQ-44A demonstrator's maiden flight occurred in late October 2025, just 556 days after development began. Jason Levin, senior vice-president of engineering for Air Dominance & Strike at Anduril, attributed the rapid progress to a strong focus on schedule and close collaboration with the customer.
Key Factors in Development
- Providing the customer access to Anduril’s computer-aided design (CAD) materials
- Simple vehicle design
- Intense focus on meeting schedule goals
Flight Characteristics
The flight was semi-autonomous, meaning there was no human operator manually controlling the aircraft with conventional controls.
“There was no human operator flying the aircraft behind the scenes with a stick and throttle,” an Anduril spokesperson said. “The operator supervised the flight, launching it with the press of a button.”
The aircraft executed its flight path and landed independently.
Levin clarified that the YFQ-44A was not intended to be remotely piloted. All taxi and flight tests have been and will continue to be semi-autonomous.
“All of our taxi and flight tests have been and will continue to be semi-autonomous,” Levin said.
Author's summary: Anduril’s YFQ-44A achieved a milestone first flight within 556 days of development, showcasing a semi-autonomous flight system enabled by collaborative design and focused engineering.