Summary
An F-22 Raptor pilot acted as an airborne “quarterback” for a YFQ-44A Fury drone in October, issuing high-level tactical directives while both aircraft were in flight, the US Air Force said in a release published 16 October 2026. Anduril, which builds the Fury, says the flight was a first for an F-22 and a pre-production YFQ-44A. Both aircraft took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and joined up midair, according to an Anduril release reported by The War Zone. The Raptor pilot then sent an updated mission plan over a tactical data link, “commanding Fury through operationally-relevant maneuvers from the cockpit of the crewed quarterback,” the release said. The Air Force said the drone’s autonomy software “interpreted and executed those directives in real time, conducting dynamic flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks.” The pilot was directing a single YFQ-44A, though the Air Force’s plan is for each fighter pilot eventually to control several drones as a formation, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. Anduril told Air & Space Forces Magazine the flight took place during the week of 5 October and lasted multiple hours. An order goes out, then the software takes over Neither the Air Force nor Anduril said how the F-22 was set up to send those directives. Past Air Force budget documents have mentioned integrating “tablets, cables, and associated materials” onto the Raptor for drone control, The War Zone reported, but no detail was given about the gear used on this flight. “This flight shows the power of crewed-uncrewed teaming and the advantage it provides our warfighters,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said in the release. “We must test often, learn fast and give commanders what they need, when they need it.” Mark Shushnar, Anduril’s vice president of autonomous airpower, said in a statement that the work requires building “trust between operators and their semi-autonomous wingmen.” An earlier Raptor test with a different drone Anduril’s claim of a first is narrow: it covers an F-22 paired with a pre-production YFQ-44A. The War Zone reported that General Atomics announced a similar demonstration involving a Raptor and an MQ-20 Avenger in November 2025. General Atomics has used the Avenger as a surrogate for a Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and its FQ-42A Vengeance is the other drone the Air Force has ordered under the first phase of the program. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in the release: “This achievement demonstrates what is possible when we are aligned with industry on a shared imperative: delivering capability to the warfighter at unprecedented speed.” The Air Force intends to have 500 combat-ready, semi-autonomous systems by 2032 and an overall fleet of 1,000. Personnel from the 412th Test Wing, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, the 309th Software Engineering Group, the Experimental Operations Unit, the F-22 System Program Office and the CCA Software Autonomy and Teaming Branch took part in the test. Sources:
- US Air Force: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4627579/f-22-directs-collaborative-combat-aircraft-in-airborne-tactical-control-demonst/ - The War Zone (TWZ): https://www.twz.com/air/f-22-pilot-controls-fq-44-fighter-drone-from-the-cockpit-for-the-first-time - Air & Space Forces Magazine: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/f-22-pilot-directs-cca-in-flight-as-airborne-qb/