YFQ-44A Fury
Anduril's autonomous combat drone for the USAF CCA programme; first to carry an AIM-120 missile.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can a $20 million drone wingman change how the US Air Force fights?
Latest on YFQ-44A Fury
- What is the Fury drone?
- Anduril's autonomous combat drone built to fly alongside F-35s and F-22s as an AI wingman. First flew October 2025, now in production at Arsenal-1 in Ohio.Source: background
- How much does a CCA drone cost?
- The Fury uses aluminium airframes and commercial components to keep unit costs low enough for mass production. Congress allocated $680 million for the CCA programme's current phase.Source: quick_facts
- Can the Fury fire missiles?
- It completed captive-carry testing with an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile in February 2026. Live-fire tests are planned for later in 2026.Source: background
Background
The YFQ-44A Fury is Anduril's autonomous combat drone competing in the US Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme, designed to fly as a loyal wingman alongside crewed fighters like the F-35 and F-22. It completed captive-carry testing with an inert AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile in February 2026, the first CCA candidate to reach weapons integration.
Production began at Arsenal-1, Anduril's 5-million-square-foot Ohio factory, in March 2026, months ahead of the announced July opening. The Fury first flew on 31 October 2025 and has since demonstrated a mid-flight switch between Shield AI's Hivemind and Anduril's own Lattice autonomy software, proving the airframe is software-agnostic. Congress allocated $680 million for the CCA programme's current phase.
The Fury is built around ArsenalOS, a modular digital backbone enabling rapid updates to autonomous behaviours and mission profiles. It uses aluminium airframes and commercial off-the-shelf components to keep unit costs low enough for attritable mass production.