“What a great moment for the U.S. Air Force and for GA-ASI,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. He added, “It’s been our collaboration that enabled us to build and fly the YFQ-42A in just over a year… I salute the Air Force for its vision and I salute our development team for delivering yet another historic first for our company.”
The YFQ-42A is designed for semi-autonomous air-to-air operations and builds on the genus-species concept introduced with the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station. GA-ASI highlighted that its autonomy core was developed through more than five years of flight testing with the MQ-20 Avenger, providing what it called a “definitive advantage in the future fight.”
Ground testing of the aircraft began in May, following its designation as YFQ-42A by USAF in March 2024. GA-ASI was selected by USAF in April to deliver a fully production-representative Collaborative Combat Aircraft, supporting the service’s plan to field more than 1,000 units on an accelerated timeline.
GA-ASI stated that its focus has been on creating a high-rate production environment to meet the Air Force’s demand. The company operates a 5 million-square-foot facility in Poway, California, and has already delivered more than 1,200 uncrewed aircraft, producing over 100 units per year.
GA-ASI aircraft have accumulated nearly nine million total flight hours, with more than 50 aircraft airborne globally at any moment. The firm said these figures demonstrate its readiness to deliver the YFQ-42A at scale, ensuring operational support and sustained availability.
