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The U.S. Air Force has expanded the pool of competitors vying for the second increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), selecting nine companies to participate in the concept refinement phase.
The companies involved in the selection, which was first reported by Breaking Defense, remain undisclosed, but represent a broader pool of bidders than the five competitors selected at the same stage of the CCA Increment 1 competition.
The selected CCA Increment 2 companies also reflect that the Air Force’s requirements remain wide open.
“These designs represent a broad spectrum, ranging from more affordable, attritable concepts to higher-end, more exquisite designs,” an Air Force spokesperson says. “This variety ensures that the program explores different approaches, optimizing for cost-effectiveness while maintaining the flexibility and capabilities necessary to enhance operational effectiveness.”
The Air Force designed the CCA program for continuous competition, departing from the winner-takes-all approach of traditional military acquisition. New prototypes are intended to be selected every two years.
In 2024, the Air Force chose General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Anduril to build prototypes for Increment 1. Their designs, the YFQ-42 and YFQ-44, respectively, have entered flight testing since September. A follow-on order for Increment 1 production is expected later this year, with the bidding process opened up to other interested companies as well.
So far, seven companies—Anduril, Boeing, GA-ASI, Kratos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Shield AI—have unveiled CCA designs. Five, excepting Kratos and Shield AI, participated at this stage of the Increment 1 CCA prototyping competition. Kratos’ XQ-58A Valkyrie has since been selected as the first CCA for the U.S. Marine Corps.
During the concept refinement phase for CCA Increment 2 prototypes, the Air Force will evaluate the technical and operational merits of the submitted designs. More than one company could be selected to build Increment 2 prototypes, the Air Force spokesperson says. Follow-on production awards were intended to come two years after the start of prototyping, but the Air Force has loosened the time frame for Increment 2.
“The specific timeline for these milestones will depend on the results from Concept Refinement and the vendor’s performance during testing,” the Air Force spokesperson says.
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