The US is producing a new generation of UAVs.

Although inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are reshaping modern warfare thanks to their superior performance relative to cost, the U.S. military believes that advanced and expensive designs are the weapons needed for long-range combat.

The YFQ-42A UAV takes off during flight testing at a location in California. Photo: af.mil

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Air Force is preparing to acquire new autonomous fighter aircraft ordered from contractor General Atomics (model FQ-42) and defense technology unicorn Anduril Industries (model FQ-44). Both models, designed to carry weapons, are part of Phase 1 of the “Cooperative Combat Aircraft – CCA” program.

Alongside the hardware contracts, the U.S. Air Force also awarded mission automation software agreements within the CCA ecosystem to a group of six vendors, including major players like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

This operation took place four months ahead of schedule, indicating that the US Air Force and Navy's initiative to develop UAVs to support manned fighter aircraft has entered a critical phase.

Launched in 2023, the CCA project plays a pivotal role in the Next Generation Space Domination Initiative. The program's focus is on developing autonomous combat UAVs, acting as "companions" flying alongside 5th and 6th generation manned fighters to expand operations deep inside enemy territory and improve soldier survival rates in real combat environments.

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Experts believe that the CCA Project will have a revolutionary impact on the US Air Force and completely change the paradigm of air warfare, as well as the way weapons are procured in the future, by separating the ordering of modern hardware from flexible software to ensure combat advantage.

The Pentagon has not disclosed the financial terms of the agreement or the number of UAVs to be purchased. However, unofficial reports indicate that the Air Force's latest budget request includes over $1 billion for UAVs in fiscal year 2027 and over $9.5 billion over the following five years.

Some industry officials also say that the estimated cost of producing UAVs is nearly one-third that of manned fighter jets. For comparison, an average F-35 currently costs around $82.5 million, while the latest version of the Reaper UAV, the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, is estimated at around $30 million. The US military plans to acquire more than 150 new UAVs by the end of this decade, with the ultimate goal potentially reaching 1,000.

Compared to the inexpensive, low-flying UAVs that are becoming devastating asymmetric weapons in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout the Middle East, the UAVs equipped for the US Air Force under Project CAA focus on long-range operational capabilities in various regions around the world .

The first-generation CCA aircraft are expected to primarily carry additional ammunition for manned fighter jets such as the F-35, F-22, and the upcoming next-generation Air Dominance fighter. Future versions of the CCA may participate in four main areas: tactical attack, aerial surveillance, electronic warfare jamming, and decoy operations.

Therefore, this new type of UAV squadron is considered essential in battles where manned jet aircraft are at high risk of being shot down, especially in "intensely contested environments." This is a phrase often used by the US military to refer to airspace protected by advanced interceptor aircraft manufactured by China and Russia.

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Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/my-san-xuat-uav-the-he-moi-a207591.html