YFQ-44A completes its second USAF exercise at Creech Air Force Base

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Several weeks after Anduril officially unveiled the YFQ-44A in Ohio, the new combat drone has completed its second exercise with experimental United States Air Force (USAF) units at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. The activity expanded the duties assigned to operational personnel and further prepared the system for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) operations.

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The exercise was led by the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU), which was established to bring USAF operational personnel into the programme during its early stages. Its purpose is to test employment concepts, mission planning, logistics and sustainment before the CCA moves towards operational deployment.

The YFQ-44A expanded its role during the exercise

During this second exercise, EOU operators took on greater responsibilities throughout the various mission phases. Personnel controlled the aircraft from multiple locations, an approach intended to lower manpower requirements and enable CCA operations from bases with limited infrastructure.

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In addition, operational users oversaw daily mission-autonomy flights with the YFQ-44A for the first time. This capability made it possible to carry out tactics and manoeuvres linked to operational scenarios, in order to assess how the system performs in more demanding employment conditions.

The exercise also tested the operators’ ability to sustain a high tempo of flying activity. Scheduled flight operations took place over a week, with several days involving more than one sortie, while personnel became increasingly familiar with the system.

The CCA programme moves towards operational capability

The second exercise built upon the results achieved during the EOU’s first activity, held in April. On that occasion, operators took part for the first time in the launch, recovery and sustainment of the YFQ-44A, a step designed to move the programme from the prototype phase towards combat capability.

The US Air Force regards testing with operational users as a central element of the CCA programme. These exercises make it possible to develop and validate procedures before production FQ-44 aircraft are introduced on a larger scale.

Creech Air Force Base will play an important role in the programme’s next phases, as it hosted the drone’s first operational-function tests last July. Thousands of sorties involving YFQ-44A prototypes and the future semi-autonomous FQ-44 fighters are also expected to take place there. The installation already has experience in unmanned aircraft operations, including the 432nd Wing, which operates MQ-9A Reaper drones.

The new YFQ-44A combat drone forms part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft concept, which aims to integrate uncrewed systems with crewed aircraft. The testing conducted at Creech will help to further define the tactics, techniques and procedures required for its future integration into the USAF’s operational structure.

Images supplied by Anduril.