The US Air Force has selected five companies for an early stage of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone wingmen competition.
According to a source interviewed by Breaking Defense, defense giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman are all vying for the classified program.
California-based autonomous systems firm Anduril Industries is also in the pool of vendors picked by the service.
By the summer of 2024, some of these companies will be eliminated from the competition following a downselect process, but the number of vendors moving forward is unclear.
A spokesperson for the US Air Force confirmed that several contractors are now maturing their air vehicle designs, but he did not provide specifics.
Multiple Competitors
To ensure that the best designs are available, the service said multiple competitors would be involved in the program “for as long as possible.”
US Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter revealed earlier this year that up to 30 vendors could be in the running to build the drone wingmen.
“So, I think we will expect in the not-too-distant future, we’ll have upwards of 20 to 30 competitors to provide collaborative combat aircraft meaningful capability,” he said in May.
Hunter also explained that the CCA program will have successive competitions to provide losing firms with more opportunities to come back and offer a more viable design.
“If you don’t succeed in the first increment of CCA — if you’re not selected — that may be a one-year bump in your business plan. And you can come back strong the next year and win,” he said.
About the Program
The US Air Force’s CCA program aims to develop a fleet of drones that flies alongside one sixth-generation aircraft during military operations.
The unmanned platforms could fulfill various roles, including launching their own missiles, mapping out targets, and drawing enemy fire.
They could also conduct sensing missions or jam enemy signals.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the service is eyeing an initial tranche of 1,000 CCAs to be deployed by 2028.