Anduril YFQ-44

YFQ-44
YFQ-44 in a ground test facility
General information
Type	Unmanned combat aerial vehicle, collaborative combat aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Anduril Industries
Status	Under development
Primary user	United States Air Force

The Anduril YFQ-44, internally named "Fury", is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) currently under development by Anduril Industries. 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 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter for air-to-air missions through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).

Development and design

The YFQ-44 was originally designed by Blue Force Technologies as an aggressor platform, initially called "Grackle" before being renamed "REDmedium" and eventually "Fury", to simulate high-end threats. ^[1] Blue Force Technologies was acquired by Anduril in 2023, and the Fury design was adapted as a submission for the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) CCA program. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The design was eventually selected as one of the two winners of the Increment I CCA alongside the General Atomics YFQ-42. ^[5]

The Fury's design as of 2023 is a fighter-like UCAV that is approximately half the dimensions of an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Its configuration consists of swept trapezoidal wings, chin-mounted inlet, a cruciform tail arrangement with stabilators and a single vertical stabilizer, and weapons mounted on external hardpoints. The aircraft is designed to fly at up to 50,000 feet (15,200 m) and Mach 0.95, and capable of pulling a maximum of 9 g, while sustaining up to 4.5 g at about 20,000 feet (6,100 m). The Fury is to be powered by a single Williams FJ44-4M turbofan engine producing 4,000 pounds-force (17.8 kN) of thrust and has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 5,000 pounds (2,270 kg). ^[1] 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. ^[6] A mockup of the design was showcased during a September 2024 USAF conference. ^[7]

The aircraft received its formal designation during the 2025 Air & Space Forces Association symposium. Flight testing is expected to begin in summer of 2025. ^[8]

Specifications (estimated)

Data from The War Zone ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 0 onboard
• Length: 20 ft (6.1 m)
• Wingspan: 17 ft (5.2 m)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,000 lb (2,268 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Williams FJ44-4M turbofan, 4,000 lbf (18 kN) thrust

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.95
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
• g limits: +9 / −3

Armament

• Hardpoints: 2× weapons stations
• Missiles: 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• General Atomics YFQ-42

Related lists

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles

References

1. Trevithick, Joseph; Rogoway, Tyler (11 September 2023). "The Rise of Fury". The War Zone.
2. Parmar, Abhinav; Stone, Mike (6 September 2023). "Palmer Luckey's defense tech startup Anduril buys autonomous aircraft maker". Reuters . Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
3. Decker, Audrey (23 September 2024). "Dueling robot wingmen take the stage". Defense One.
4. Insinna, Valerie (10 September 2024). "Anduril, General Atomics to showcase drone wingmen models at Air Force conference next week". Breaking Defense.
5. 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.
6. Finnerty, Ryan (19 September 2024). "USAF's first autonomous combat jets will act as air-to-air 'missile trucks' for crewed fighters". FlightGlobal.
7. D'Urso, Stefano (17 September 2024). "Anduril And General Atomics Showcase Collaborative Combat Aircraft Mockups". The Aviationist.
8. Gordon, Chris (3 March 2025). "America's First Unmanned Fighters Are Here: YFQ-42 and YFQ-44". Air and Space Forces Magazine. Air and Space Forces Association.