The US Air Force now intends to field at least 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032, a major increase from earlier near-term plans. The service ultimately intends to acquire around 1,000 semi-autonomous combat aircraft, with the first Increment 1 designs now officially named the FQ-42 Vengeance and FQ-44 Fury.
The significance is the shift from experimental loyal-wingman programmes toward a force measured in hundreds of operational aircraft. At that scale, autonomous combat aircraft begin affecting fleet structure, training, weapons inventories and industrial capacity rather than simply supplementing individual fighters. The parallel US interest in roughly 500 lower-cost Massed Modular Aircraft also suggests that future air forces may increasingly operate several classes of attritable or semi-attritable unmanned combat aircraft alongside a smaller number of expensive crewed platforms.
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The US Navy has awarded Boeing a $562 million contract for the first low-rate production batch of the MQ-25A Stingray. The award funds three Lot 1 aircraft and long-lead components for three additional Lot 2 aircraft, with initial production deliveries expected to begin in 2029. The programme has now formally moved from development into production.
MQ-25 represents one of the clearest examples of unmanned aviation moving into the routine structure of a major carrier air wing. Its initial mission is aerial refuelling rather than strike, but that choice is strategically important: transferring tanker duties away from F/A-18s increases the range and availability of crewed combat aircraft while building operational experience with large autonomous aircraft aboard carriers. The production decision therefore matters beyond MQ-25 itself and could lower the institutional barriers to future carrier-based reconnaissance, electronic-warfare and combat drones.
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The Ukrainian Navy says its Sargan 3000 USV destroyed a Russian unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea using a Kongsberg Protector remotely operated weapon station equipped with a 12.7-mm machine gun. Video released by Ukraine shows the Sargan firing repeatedly at the opposing vessel until it sinks. Ukraine describes the engagement as the first recorded USV-on-USV kill.
Naval drones have largely been used as reconnaissance platforms or one-way attack weapons. Arming reusable USVs with remote weapon stations introduces a different concept: unmanned vessels capable of hunting other unmanned systems and surviving the engagement. If this approach matures, maritime drone warfare could begin developing its own counter-drone layer, with armed USVs screening fleets, protecting ports and intercepting hostile drone boats. The “world first” designation remains based primarily on Ukrainian reporting, but the broader operational concept is significant regardless.
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Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has unveiled a full-scale model of its Vectis autonomous combat aircraft and announced plans to build four additional vehicles beyond the initial prototype. The company says the programme remains on track for its first flight in 2027 and is being designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft including the F-35.
Vectis shows that the US collaborative-combat-aircraft market is unlikely to remain limited to the current Increment 1 competitors. Lockheed Martin is effectively positioning a more survivable autonomous aircraft for future requirements while financing development ahead of a formal selection. This could create a broader spectrum of CCAs, ranging from relatively affordable mass platforms to more sophisticated stealth aircraft intended to penetrate defended airspace. The key question will be whether additional capability can be introduced without undermining the affordability that originally drove the CCA concept.
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France has placed an additional order with Airbus Helicopters for four U050 Capa-X systems, each consisting of two aircraft. Two systems are intended for the French Navy and two for the Army under the SDTL evaluation programme. Airbus says the 120-kg modular UAV can operate up to 100 km from its control station, remain airborne for up to ten hours and carry up to 20 kg of payload. Deliveries are planned for 2027.
The order is notable because it moves Capa-X beyond experimentation and into a broader joint-service evaluation. Its modular architecture also reflects a wider procurement trend: armed forces increasingly want UAVs that can switch between intelligence, electronic-warfare and other payloads rather than buying separate airframes for every mission. For Airbus Helicopters, the programme provides a pathway into a tactical-UAS market dominated by smaller specialist companies and could eventually allow the group to connect unmanned aircraft more closely with its existing helicopter ecosystem.
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Britain begins mass production of turbojet engines for cruise missiles and strike drones
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European Union allocates additional €3.3 billion for missiles and drones for Ukraine
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Japan’s Prodrone prepares for production capacity of 58,000 drones per year
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MARTAC expands production capacity to 100 Devil Ray USVs per year
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Ukraine reports production of more than 2,000 BARS drones per month
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North Korea unveils new drone production lines
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Swarm Aero unveils 9,000-nautical-mile Gamera long-range strike UAV
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Anduril demonstrates new weapons integration for the FQ-44 Fury
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Cessna SkyCourier UX introduces autonomous 6,000-lb cargo capability
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General Atomics Mojave completes battlefield short-field operations in South Korea
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Ukraine reveals X-Wing drone combining AI, Starlink and aerial reconnaissance
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US Army buys Ukrainian Raybird unmanned aircraft
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Paramount launches V-Raven VTOL ISR and light-attack UAV
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Ukraine successfully tests new interceptor against jet-powered Russian drones
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Skazheny interceptor with terminal guidance is codified for Ukrainian service
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DroneShield integrates AIM Defence FRACTL laser into DroneSentry architecture
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MSI Defence Systems unveils Terrahawk Raptor counter-drone weapon station
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Indra unveils Drizzle interceptor launched from a larger airborne carrier drone
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TYTAN integrates TI-03 Hyperion interceptor with KNDS THeMIS UGV
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Northrop Grumman advances 50-mm gun-based Raid Hunter air-defence system
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Quantum Systems launches SeaVex USV and SubVex UUV maritime family
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France moves to procure long-endurance surface drones for amphibious ship escort
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Havoc and Taiwan’s CSBC agree to co-produce autonomous surface vessels
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China reveals new giant submarine drone mothership
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Kraken K3 Scout USV integrates Bumblebee V1 UAVs
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Ukraine says ground-robot deployments have tripled
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Britain plans autonomous Hector teammate for Ajax infantry fighting vehicles
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British Army moves X-series UGVs from experimentation toward operational integration
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Babcock explores production of Ukraine-proven ground robots in the UK
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