The US Air Force’s YFQ-44A Fury drone, developed by Anduril Industries, has successfully conducted the first live air-to-air missile launch by a US Collaborative Combat Aircraft, firing an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile in a beyond-line-of-sight strike against a simulated target at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The Fury carried the missile externally on wing-mounted hardpoints, with Anduril’s Lattice software managing autonomous mission execution including target-data ingestion, operator tasking, and launch sequencing. The test validates autonomous weapon employment within pilot-defined parameters and marks a watershed moment in the integration of unmanned platforms into frontline air combat operations.
The Fury is one of two primary designs in the US CCA program, alongside General Atomics’ YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. Both have been ordered for production to constitute the initial operational CCA fleet. The Dark Merlin is expected to conduct its own live-fire test later this year. The Air Force envisions these unmanned wingmen as force multipliers in high-end conflicts, extending sensor coverage and providing kinetic firepower while reducing risk to manned fighter aircraft through advanced manned-unmanned teaming.
The capability enables new tactical doctrines where unmanned aircraft fly ahead of crewed fighters to perform air-to-air engagements, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance missions. This operational model fundamentally redefines air combat architecture, allowing pilots to remain at safer standoff distances while their unmanned partners execute kinetic strikes under real-time command authority.
International development of similar systems is accelerating. In December 2025, Turkey’s Baykar Kızılelma drone successfully fired Gökdoğan air-to-air missiles, including against a target drone. The Royal Australian Air Force, in partnership with Boeing, demonstrated comparable capability by test-firing an AMRAAM from the MQ-28 Ghost Bat unmanned aircraft.
India is advancing its own combat unmanned programme. The stealthy Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior, developed indigenously, has completed ground engine testing and is designed to carry both air-to-air and air-to-surface weapon loads. Once operational, CATS Warrior will integrate with the Indian Air Force’s Tejas light combat aircraft, Sukhoi-30MKI fleet, Jaguar strike aircraft, and the under-development Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The IAF’s approach emphasises integration with existing crewed platforms rather than standalone operations, reflecting a doctrine of networked air power where unmanned platforms augment and extend the combat reach of India’s fighter fleet. CATS Warrior’s weapon-carriage capability aligns with India’s broader push toward autonomous systems and Make in India defence manufacturing under Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
The Fury’s AMRAAM launch also signals expansion of unmanned autonomous systems into maritime and terrestrial domains. The United States reportedly deployed three Corsair unmanned surface vessels in offensive operations against Iran’s Bandar Abbas port this week, underscoring the pivot toward autonomous platforms across all combat environments.
