San Diego, California. (May 19, 2025): The merging of humans and machines has, up until now, been the stuff of science fiction. In the above photo, the Air Force displays a prototype of the YFQ-42A uncrewed fighter, the first creation of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. Designed by General Atomics, the YFQ-42A ‘autonomous fighter drone’ will begin readiness and performance evaluations beginning this month.

The drone represents a new generation of unmanned fighters that can operate independently or collaboratively with human pilots. Dubbed the “loyal wingman,” the fighter is designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft to allow human operators to control, coordinate, or supervise their activities. The Air Force envisions the YFQ-42A drone augmenting crewed fighter aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning, and the planned Next Generation Air Dominance fighter for air-to-air missions.

It has a single engine, an elongated fuselage with slender wings, and an internal weapons bay containing two AIM-120 air to air missiles. The Air Force anticipates a ratio of two loyal wingman fighters to each of the three hundred F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and the planned two hundred Next Generation Air Dominance planes.

Due to its low cost, commanders are free to send the loyal wingman on high-risk one-way missions. The drones can even be sent in waves to overwhelm an enemy’s defenses before crewed aircraft arrive.

The future is now for Air Force pilots who will be accompanied by an exceptionally brave and loyal wingman.