Anduril’s YFQ-44A CCA Completes Maiden Flight
Anduril’s YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft has successfully completed its first flight, marking the start of its official flight-testing phase. The company announced the achievement on 31 October 2025.
Development and Testing Progress
The milestone flight took place 556 days after the aircraft’s development began. Jason Levin, senior vice-president of engineering for Air Dominance & Strike at Anduril, noted the rapid pace of design and testing.
“An intense focus on schedule, close collaboration with the customer, and a simple vehicle design enabled such a fast development,”
said an Anduril spokesperson on 5 November, adding that sharing CAD materials with the client played a key role.
Autonomy and Operation
The first flight was semi-autonomous. The operator did not manually control the aircraft during flight but initiated the mission with a single command.
“There was no human operator flying the aircraft behind the scenes with a stick and throttle. The aircraft executed the flightpath and landed on its own,”
the spokesperson explained.
“All of our taxi and flight tests have been and will continue to be semi-autonomous,”
Levin confirmed, emphasizing that the YFQ-44A was never intended for remote piloting.
Author’s Summary
Anduril’s YFQ-44A marks a new stage in autonomous aerial systems, achieving rapid development and a successful semi-autonomous first flight in under two years.