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Air Force Plans to Field Hundreds of Autonomous Drones by 2032

The service says the drones will extend manned fighter reach and survivability while it pushes production and testing across multiple increments.

  • On Monday, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced the official names for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, designating the FQ-42 as "Vengeance" and the FQ-44 as "Fury," while confirming a goal of 500 drones by 2032.
  • Recent progress in the CCA program prompted the updated target, shifting from previously stated 150 airframes. Meink said, "today, the first FQ-42 and FQ-44 increments are already rolling off the assembly line," following production contracts awarded earlier this summer.
  • Testing at Creech Air Force Base demonstrated Fury's combat capabilities as it flew alongside F-35 fighters during July exercises. Executives confirmed the aircraft demonstrated a "complete end-to-end kill chain," successfully launching an AIM-120 AMRAAM against a simulated target.
  • The Experimental Operations Unit successfully launched and recovered aircraft during July exercises, reducing infrastructure needs to a laptop-based setup. A single operator could perform these tasks after only hours of training, proving operational viability in contested airspace.
  • Broader modernization efforts include the Massed Modular Aircraft and Family of Affordable Mass Munitions programs. The service aims to field 100 MMA platforms by 2029, providing "affordable, attributable, long-range strike" capabilities at scale.
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DefenseScoop broke the news in Washington, United States on Monday, September 14, 2026.
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