US Air Force Plans to Deploy 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032
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- TheWarZone
The U.S. Air Force has set a target to have at least 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) operational by 2032. This ambitious plan includes an equal number of Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) drones to replace the MQ-9 Reapers. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced these updates during a keynote speech at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 conference.
This initiative is significant as it marks a substantial increase from previous plans, which aimed for over 150 CCAs by the end of the decade. The Air Force is also focusing on reducing costs, with plans to field 100 MMAs by 2029 at a lower price point than current manned aircraft. The FQ-42 and FQ-44 drones, now officially named Vengeance and Fury, are already in production and will perform missions similar to those of manned fighters.
Looking ahead, the Air Force is still determining how these CCAs will be integrated into operations. The establishment of a dedicated Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) aims to facilitate the development and testing of these aircraft. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
Fleet Of At Least 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft By 2032 Now In USAF’s Plans
TheWarZone · Joseph TrevithickThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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