Fury (YFQ-44A / FQ-44)
A jet-powered drone designed to fly alongside fighter jets as an uncrewed 'wingman'.
What does it actually do?
Fury is a fighter-like jet with no pilot on board. The U.S. Air Force is buying aircraft like it under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to pair cheaper autonomous jets with crewed fighters such as the F-35. The Air Force's prototype designation is YFQ-44A; the production version is FQ-44.
Technical detail
- Group 5 autonomous air vehicle with near-fighter performance, designed for affordable mass production.
- Originated at Blue Force Technologies, which Anduril acquired in 2023.
- Flies with Lattice for Mission Autonomy; also flown with Shield AI's autonomy software in testing.
- First production aircraft built at Arsenal-1 in Ohio (2026).
Status
TestingContract awardedIn production
Selected for CCA Increment 1 in 2024, first flight in October 2025, production contract in June 2026.
Known users
- U.S. Air Force
Milestones
- YFQ-44A completes a second exercise with the Experimental Operations Unit. Source
- Anduril wins a production contract for the CCA program. Source
- YFQ-44A integrates with the Air Force's Experimental Operations Unit. Source
- YFQ-44A flies with mission autonomy software from Anduril and Shield AI. Source
- YFQ-44A begins flight testing. Source
- Selected (with General Atomics) for the next phase of the Air Force CCA program. Source
- Anduril acquires Blue Force Technologies, Fury's original developer. Source
Related systems
Questions
Does Fury fly itself?
Yes, it is designed to fly autonomously under the direction of human operators, for example a pilot in a nearby crewed jet. Air Force officials have said humans remain responsible for decisions to use weapons.
Who else builds CCAs?
General Atomics builds the YFQ-42A for the same program. Both were selected for production in June 2026.
