SINGAPORE AIRSHOW: Air Force Official Looks for Robotic Jet Partnerships in Asia, Talks F-35 Woes (UPDATED)
2/20/2024
By Josh Luckenbaugh
SINGAPORE — The U.S. Air Force has held discussions with Japan and other allies regarding the possibility of partnering on the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the Air Force’s top acquisition official said Feb. 20.
The Air Force envisions the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA, as autonomous platforms that would operate in tandem with manned systems, such as the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance fighter. The service currently has contracts with five companies — Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril — for increment one of the CCA program, and is planning to select at least two vendors to move forward to the next phase.
At the same time, the service is actively engaging with international allies and partners about either exporting the autonomous aircraft or providing them the means to build similar platforms, said Andrew Hunter, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics.
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2024/2/20/air-force-discussing-collaborative-combat-aircraft-with-allies
