F-22 pilot controls Anduril's Fury drone in flight for first time
An F-22 fighter pilot commanded Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury autonomous jet from the cockpit during an airborne test, marking a key milestone for the Air Force's plan to pair crewed and uncrewed fighters in combat.
What happened
On October 16, 2026, the U.S. Air Force and Anduril announced that an F-22 Raptor pilot had successfully issued commands to a pre-production YFQ-44A Fury drone during flight. The test, which took place earlier in October, saw both aircraft take off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and meet in the air. The F-22 pilot transmitted an updated mission plan to Fury via a tactical data link and commanded the drone through operationally relevant maneuvers from the fighter's cockpit.
According to the Air Force, the F-22 pilot served as an airborne "quarterback," issuing high-level tactical directives that Fury's onboard autonomy software interpreted and executed in real time. The demonstration involved dynamic flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks. Anduril confirmed this was the first time an F-22 had controlled a pre-production Fury in this manner. The test was led by the Experimental Operations Unit based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, working with multiple Air Force test and software teams.
Background
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is the Air Force's effort to buy relatively affordable autonomous jets that fly alongside crewed fighters such as the F-35 and F-22. Under Increment 1, the Air Force selected two designs: Anduril's FQ-44 Fury and General Atomics' FQ-42 Vengeance. Both companies have production contracts and aim to deliver operational aircraft by the end of the decade. The Air Force plans to acquire at least 500 Increment 1 CCAs by 2032 and is planning follow-on purchases through Increment 2. In previous tests, Fury had flown in formation with F-35 fighters and successfully launched an air-to-air missile, but direct pilot control from a crewed fighter during flight had not been demonstrated until now.
What to watch next
Both Fury and Vengeance are expected to participate in Exercise Emerald Flag in December 2026, marking the first large-scale integration test with crewed fighters. The Air Force and its industry partners still need to resolve outstanding questions about deployment, launch, recovery, maintenance, and operational procedures for the drones, as well as ensure human pilots develop full trust in their autonomous wingmen.
Sources
- Original report: F-22 Pilot Controls FQ-44 Fighter Drone From The Cockpit For The First Time (The War Zone, Oct 16, 2026) Defense media
- Aviation Week: U.S. Air Force F-22 Controls Anduril YFQ-44A In Key Test Defense media
- Defence Industry Europe: U.S. Air Force says F-22 pilot directed Anduril YFQ-44A Fury through flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks in airborne test Other outlet
- Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-22 Pilot Directs CCA in Flight as ‘Airborne QB’ Defense media
Written by Anduril News with AI assistance from the original report and other coverage, in plain English. It can contain mistakes; check the original for anything important. How we write these.
