General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance

FQ-42 Vengeance
A YFQ-42A takes off at a testing range in California
General information
TypeLoyal wingman capable unmanned fighter aircraft
National origin
United States
ManufacturerGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems
StatusUnder development
Primary userUnited States Air Force
Number builtAt least 3
History
First flight27 August 2025
Developed from
General Atomics XQ-67A

The General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance is an unmanned fighter aircraft with loyal wingman capabilities, currently under development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The aircraft is one of the winning designs for Increment I of the United States Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program and is intended to augment crewed fighter aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning, and the planned Boeing F-47 fighter for air-to-air missions through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).

Development and design

General Atomics YFQ-42A in a ground test facility.

The FQ-42 is a member of General Atomics "Gambit" family of UCAVs and derived from the company's XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator built for the Air Force Research Laboratory. The design was selected as one of the two winners of the Increment I CCA with designation YFQ-42 alongside the Anduril's "Fury" design designated as the YFQ-44.

A mockup of the design was showcased during a September 2024 Air Force conference; the aircraft's configuration is similar to the XQ-67A but modified for greater speeds and fighter-like maneuverability, with the airframe having an elongated fuselage with slender wings, a dorsal-mounted inlet, a single engine, V-tails, and internal weapons bay. Planned armament is two AIM-120 AMRAAMs. The design is expected to provide the USAF with "affordable mass" to augment its crewed fighters in air-to-air missions. Its low cost nature, while not attritable, enables users and commanders to take greater risks with them.

The aircraft received its formal designation during the 2025 Air & Space Forces Association symposium. On 27 August 2025, the United States Air Force and General Atomics announced the YFQ-42A had begun its flight testing.

On 23 February 2026, in a statement from General Atomics, the YFQ-42 was named "Dark Merlin", named after a type of falcon.

On 17 June 2026, the Air Force announced it had selected both the YFQ-42 and Anduril's YFQ-44 for an initial production contract, with a combined 150 FQ-42s and FQ-44s to be built by 2030.

On 14 September 2026, the United States Air Force announced that the FQ-42 production aircraft would be named "Vengeance".

Flight test mishap

On 6 April 2026 a YFQ-42A crashed during a mishap shortly after takeoff, resulting in the total loss of an aircraft and causing delays in flight testing activities. Flight testing resumed on 21 May 2026.

The cause was determined to be an autopilot miscalculation of the aircraft weight & center of gravity.

Variants

Operators

 United States

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. 1 2 General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (23 February 2026). "GA-ASI Announces YFQ-42A Dark Merlin". Archived from the original on 23 February 2026. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 Rogoway, Tyler (23 February 2026). "Dark Merlin Is The Name Of General Atomics' YFQ-42A Fighter Drone". The War Zone. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  3. ↑ "GA-ASI Achieves New Milestone With Semi-Autonomous CCA Flight". General Atomics. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 Rogoway, Tyler (23 February 2026). "Dark Merlin Is The Name Of General Atomics' YFQ-42A Fighter Drone". The War Zone.
  5. ↑ Decker, Audrey (23 September 2024). "Dueling robot wingmen take the stage". Defense One.
  6. ↑ Insinna, Valerie (25 July 2024). "General Atomics could fly first CCA prototype in mid-2025: Aeronautics president". Breaking Defense.
  7. ↑ Tirpak, John (25 April 2024). "Anduril and General Atomics to Develop New Collaborative Combat Aircraft for Air Force". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  8. ↑ Insinna, Valerie (10 September 2024). "Anduril, General Atomics to showcase drone wingmen models at Air Force conference next week". Breaking Defense.
  9. ↑ D'Urso, Stefano (17 September 2024). "Anduril And General Atomics Showcase Collaborative Combat Aircraft Mockups". The Aviationist.
  10. ↑ Finnerty, Ryan (19 September 2024). "USAF's first autonomous combat jets will act as air-to-air 'missile trucks' for crewed fighters". FlightGlobal.
  11. ↑ "Collaborative Combat Aircraft, YFQ-42A takes to the air for flight testing". 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "GA-ASI Announces YFQ-42A Dark Merlin". General Atomics. 23 February 2026.
  13. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (17 June 2026). "USAF Orders Both General Atomics' FQ-42 And Anduril's FQ-44 Into Production". The Warzone.
  14. ↑ Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs (14 September 2026). "SecAF announces names of new Collaborative Combat Aircraft".
  15. 1 2 3 "YFQ-42A Returns to Flight Testing". General Atomics. 6 April 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Statement on YFQ-42A Flight Incident". General Atomics. 6 April 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "General Atomics CCA drone wingman prototype crashes in California". 6 April 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Losey, Stephen (17 June 2026). "Air Force Selects Both General Atomics and Anduril for CCA Production". Air & Space Forces Magazine.