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Aerospace & Defense U.S. Fighter Pilots Partner With Unmanned Aircraft In Battle Exercises By Zita Ballinger Fletcher ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a defense technology reporter Follow Author Jul 30, 2026, 11:22pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The U.S. Air Force recently held unprecedented large-scale combat exercises in Nevada, where fighter pilots commanded multiple Collaborative Combat Aircraft, including the YFQ-44A Fury and YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. These drills marked the first time autonomous systems operated alongside airmen in extensive mock battles, aiming to rapidly integrate uncrewed partners to boost combat reach and lethality. A significant breakthrough occurred when the Fury successfully fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, an unprecedented display of machine-on-machine collaboration that signals a major shift in warfare mechanization. The Air Force plans to field 1,000 autonomous aircraft, having secured production contracts, underscoring that drone fighter planes are poised to redefine future military operations.
The U.S. Air Force is conducting large-scale combat exercises in Nevada tasking fighter pilots with controlling multiple unmanned aircraft systems in mock battle sorties. The unmanned systems, known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, included the YFQ-44A Fury and the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin.
Pilots practiced flying alongside the CCAs while wielding them as partners in multiple sorties, the Air Force revealed.
“By integrating uncrewed systems to fly alongside our Airmen, we extend reach and increase lethality,” Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Air Force chief of staff, said in a statement.
While the service has previously trained pilots to wield large unmanned aircraft as "loyal wingmen" in controlled environments, the drills at Creech Air Force Base mark the first time the CCAs have performed alongside airmen in larger scale combat exercises.
The goal was to integrate the autonomous aircraft into battle exercises at speed and in mass.
In a major milestone for the increasing mechanization of warfare, the Fury fired AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles during the exercise.
The AMRAAM is a light but powerful self-guided missile that flies at supersonic speeds to strike targets far beyond the line of sight with extreme precision. It is used on almost all U.S. fighter jets.
The autonomous system’s use of a self-guided missile marks an unprecedented step in machine-on-machine collaboration.
The Air Force is currently aiming to put 1,000 autonomous aircraft into the field at rapid pace. Last month, the service sought to boost CCA production by awarding several contracts for engineering, manufacturing development and production to General Atomics for the YFQ-42 and Anduril for the YFQ-44, with additional contracts awarded for autonomous software development.
The scale of the battle drills in Nevada and the functions now being performed by autonomous aircraft signal that, alongside drone boats, drone fighter planes will define the conduct of future warfare.
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