General Atomics follows Anduril to build YFQ-42A loyal wingman drone in Germany
July 18, 2025
U.S. defence contractor General Atomics has announced plans to build its new loyal wingman drone in Europe. The news comes as European countries ramp up their defence spending and reconstitute their air forces. The company will build a derivative of the YFQ-42A prototype currently undergoing testing for the USAF.
General Atomics to build new unmanned autonomous combat aircraft in Germany
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) said it is taking a “bold step toward rapidly delivering a European Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).” It is one of the world’s leaders in developing loyal wingman drones, called Collaborative Combat Aircraft or CCAs, in the United States.
General Atomics is one of two companies (the other being Anduril) to have been selected by the United States Air Force to develop CCAs.
The aircraft will be assembled in Europe and will be fitted with European mission systems. For the Europeans, it means they can leverage the development of CCAs in the United States and bring them quickly into service, providing Europeans a jump start.
While plenty of Western countries have autonomous combat aircraft of various tiers of development, the United States maintains a clear lead. Turkey and Australia also have significant programs.
General Atomics will work with German aerospace affiliates, including GA Aerotec Systems GmbH in Munich, under a “teamed operation.” The uncrewed aircraft will be combined with the airborne sensor and weapon system expertise from European defence contractors.
It remains unclear which European air forces are planning to purchase the General Atomics aircraft and how many.
The rapid development of GA’s YFQ-42A
The new aircraft will be based on the current YFQ-42A prototype, which hasn’t flown yet. A YFQ-42A full-scale model made its international debut at the 2025 Paris Air Show.
The YFQ-42A is currently in ground testing. It is scheduled for its first test flight later in the summer of 2025.
The YFQ-42A is based on the XQ-67A aircraft that impressed the US Air Force in 2024 and got the go-ahead to be developed into one of the CCAs planned. General Atomics expects to fly the derivative just 18 months after its predecessor.
Importantly, the move by General Atomics to offer European countries a European-built version of the drone comes just a month after General Atomics’ rival, Anduril, announced it is also partnering with Rheinmetall to provide Europe with a German-built version of its Fury drone.
Anduril’s advanced YFQ-44A prototype is competing with General Atomics; YFQ-42A to be the United States’ first CCA. Anduril is also planning to complete its first test flight for the CCA program in the next few weeks.
General Atomics has built more than 1,200 autonomous aircraft in the last 30 years. It claims to have pioneered three types of autonomous combat aircraft, including the MQ-20 Avenger (2009) and the USAF’s XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (2024).
Europe rushing to introduce autonomous combat aircraft
Like the United States Air Force, European air forces need to restore affordable mass. Modern multirole fighter jets are much more capable than the aircraft they replace. However, their expense means they can not be a one-for-one replacement.
Purchasing frontline fighters in low numbers has resulted in the number of fighter aircraft in NATO air forces falling significantly. Air forces are now looking to advanced combat drones to restore mass.
The German Air Force appears to be pushing to rapidly introduce high-end uncrewed aircraft, popularly called loyal wingman drones, into its air force.
Airbus has just announced it is partnering with another US-based defence contractor, Kratos. The partnership will see the companies rapidly build a variant of Kratos’ existing XQ-58A Valkyrie for the German Air Force. It is expected to enter service by 2029.
