General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) was at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates during November to showcase its YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The company is currently undertaking a tour of the Middle East that’s designed to build upon the strong interest it sees in the region for CCAs.
Company President David Alexander spoke to TWZ’s Jamie Hunter in Dubai about General Atomics’ plans to quickly ramp up production of the YFQ-42A for the U.S. Air Force, as well as the interest in the Middle East for CCAs to meet both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The company recently unveiled a strike/attack variant in its Gambit series of drones, which are designed around a common chassis with modular kits that can be applied for different missions. Dubbed Gambit 6, this loyal wingman is the latest model in this family and is aimed at the international sales market.
Alexander also provided more details about its latest CCA testing and development efforts, including a recent MQ-20 Avenger drone mission that was flown under the direction of a pilot in an F-22 Raptor. He explained that the drone wingman was controlled by a tablet computer on the Raptor pilot’s knee. The F-22 stealth fighters are set to be the first operational airborne controllers for the USAF’s CCAs.
This demonstration happened during an exercise held earlier this year on the Nevada Test and Training Range. Alexander said General Atomics used internal company funding for this test, and emphasized the value of using its MQ-20 Avengers as surrogate CCA platforms to lay the foundations for teaming crewed fighters with uncrewed wingmen.
Check out the full interview in the video posted at the top of this article.