Anduril Industries has been selected for the production phase of the US Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the company announced. The contract involves delivering production YFQ-44 fighter aircraft for testing and operational fielding, marking the first time in over 50 years a new company has won a US fighter aircraft program.
Anduril Industries, the defense technology firm co-founded by Palmer Luckey, has been selected by the US Air Force for the production phase of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. The contract, which Anduril announced this morning, covers the delivery of production-representative YFQ-44 fighter aircraft to support ongoing testing and operational fielding. The win is widely seen as a historic shift in the defense aerospace sector: it is the first time in more than five decades that a company other than Boeing, Lockheed Martin, or Northrop Grumman has won a US fighter aircraft production program. The CCA program is part of the US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) family of systems, designed to field uncrewed or optionally-crewed combat aircraft that operate alongside crewed fighters. Anduril's selection signals the service's willingness to open the fighter-industrial base to newer, non-traditional defense contractors. No contract value was disclosed in the initial announcement.
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