CCA Round 2: Air Force picks 9 vendors for next batch of drone wingmen

NEW YORK — The US Air Force has awarded nine companies contracts for an early stage of the second round of its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, selecting a wide array of designs that will be evaluated for potential future prototyping, an Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense today. 

The spokesperson did not say when the awards were made or what companies were picked. The nine successful firms will now compete for a prototyping deal, which the spokesperson said could be offered to more than one company.

The CCA program aims to field drone wingmen that can fly alongside manned aircraft in battle. Its first round, or increment, is currently underway, where Anduril and General Atomics have both flown prototypes. The awards revealed today are for the program’s next round, or Increment 2.

The contracts were issued for a nascent phase of Increment 2 called “Concept Refinement.” The awards encompass a “broad spectrum” of concepts, the Air Force spokesperson said, “ranging from more affordable, attritable concepts to higher-end, more exquisite designs. This variety ensures that the program explores different approaches, optimizing for cost-effectiveness while maintaining the flexibility and capabilities necessary to enhance operational effectiveness.”

After concept refinement and a following prototyping stage — mirroring a structure for Increment 1 — the service plans to down select for “production awards,” the spokesperson said. “The specific timeline for these milestones will depend on the results from Concept Refinement and the vendor’s performance during testing,” they added.

Following the CCA program’s first increment, it hasn’t been clear what tack the Air Force might take for the Increment 2 successors. While some Air Force officials have hinted at lower-cost, more attritable designs prevailing, others have previously emphasized a wide range of designs are under consideration.

For Increment 1 of the CCA program, as Breaking Defense first reported, the Air Force originally selected Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for earlier design work. The service then winnowed down the pool to Anduril and General Atomics in April 2024.

But knowing a second increment was on the way, industry has started to put forward designs as the Air Force weighs its options, with several firms in recent months revealing more exquisite unmanned aircraft concepts that they say could be candidates depending on how requirements shake out. Engine vendors have also rushed to offer solutions for lower-end propulsion, which could power a range of platforms like munitions to more attritable CCA. 

The Air Force separately competed autonomy deals for its Increment 1 drones, quietly awarding contracts to RTX and Shield AI as Breaking Defense reported in September. Today the Air Force spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked how the service will structure software development for Increment 2. 

In the meantime, the spokesperson said the Air Force is working closely with the Navy and Marine Corps, which also plan to field drone wingmen, “to ensure interoperability between the services for CCA.” The spokesperson added that the “joint approach” with the services “will enable seamless interaction and coordination in multi-domain operations, enhancing overall combat effectiveness across the military branches.”