PENTAGON— The US Air Force has requested nearly $1 billion in fiscal year 2027 to initiate procurement of the first Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones, according to newly published budget documents.
The request marks the first time the program has moved from pure development funding into formal procurement.
Pentagon comptroller documents show a planned $996.5 million in CCA procurement for FY2027, along with an additional $150 million in advance procurement to support fiscal year 2028.
The budget documents do not specify the number of aircraft to be purchased with that funding.
Air Force CCA Program Moves Toward Full-Scale Production
Since the program’s inception, the Air Force has spent approximately $1.91 billion developing CCAs, which are designed to fly as unmanned wingmen alongside manned fighter jets, Air and Space Forces reported.
The FY2027 request also includes another $1.37 billion in research and development funding, bringing the total 2027 program request to $2.37 billion.
CCAs are semi-autonomous drones designed to fly alongside aircraft such as the F-22, F-35, and F-47, conducting missions including strike, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare at a lower cost and risk than manned fighters.
The CCA program’s Increment 1 phase involves two competing airframes: the YFQ-42A, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and the YFQ-44A, developed by Anduril Industries. Both companies received contracts from the Air Force in 2024 to continue development and conduct flight tests of their prototypes.
Under Air Force naming conventions, “Y” designates prototype, “F” means fighter, and “Q” means unmanned. Once a prototype moves into production, the Air Force would drop the “Y” prefix. These are the first uncrewed aircraft in U.S. history to receive the fighter designation.
Production Decision Deadline and Cost Targets
Before procurement can begin, the Air Force must finalize its Increment 1 production decision. When the Air Force announced General Atomics and Anduril as finalists in April 2024, it planned to make a production decision in fiscal 2026, leaving a September 30 deadline for the service.
Officials have indicated they may choose to carry both airframe types into production rather than selecting just one.
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall initially estimated the service could field over 100 Increment 1 CCA drones by 2029 at a price of around $30 million per platform, roughly one-third the cost of an F-35 Lightning II.
Col. Timothy Helfrich, the portfolio acquisition executive for fighters and advanced aircraft at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, said on March 25 that the program is beating Kendall’s cost goal. “Not only have we met [Kendall’s goal], we are doing much better than that,” Helfrich said.
Notionally, if the price per CCA falls below $25 million, the FY2027 procurement budget would cover approximately 40 aircraft, though initial spare parts included in procurement funding can affect how unit cost is calculated.
Recent Testing Milestones and Setbacks
Both CCA competitors have made significant testing progress. The YFQ-42A completed its first flight, going from concept to flight in just 16 months after the contract was awarded.
In February 2026, Anduril started armed flight testing with its YFQ-44A CCA. That same month, Anduril completed its first semi-autonomous flight and demonstrated the ability to switch between Shield AI and its own mission autonomy software suites mid-air.
However, a setback emerged just as budget documents were released. One of General Atomics’ YFQ-42A “Dark Merlin” CCAs experienced a mishap at its company-owned airport in California on April 6, 2026, prompting the company to pause all flight tests and open an investigation.
No injuries were reported. Analysts noted the incident is unlikely to significantly affect the competition outcome.
FY2027 Air Force Aircraft Procurement Overview
The introduction of CCA funding is the single largest addition to the Air Force’s overall aircraft procurement budget in FY2027, which totals $30.64 billion — a modest 1.67 percent increase over FY2026.
Key aircraft buys for FY2027 include:
| Aircraft | Units Planned |
|---|---|
| F-35 | 38 (up from 24 in FY2026) |
| F-15EX | 24 (up from 22) |
| T-7A Trainer | 23 (up from 14) |
| KC-46 Refueler | 15 (same as prior years) |
| MH-139 | 4 |
| EA-37B Compass Call | 3 (up from 2) |
| C-37A | 1 |
| B-21 Raider | Not specified |
| CCA | Not specified |
The Air Force does not specify how many B-21 Raiders it intends to buy. The Raiders’ budget is projected to fall to $2.23 billion in FY2027 from $6.47 billion in FY2026, though it remains above previous base budget levels.
All told, the Air Force plans to procure at least 108 new aircraft in FY2027, plus undisclosed numbers of B-21s and CCAs, along with six hand-launched RQ-20B drones.
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