The partnership establishes the Netherlands as a key international participant in the CCA program. It also advances efforts to enhance interoperability and cooperation between allied forces.
The collaboration will focus on developing platform-agnostic, open-architecture autonomous systems. These capabilities are intended to enable seamless data sharing and coordinated operations in combined missions.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said: “The future fight will be fought with allies and partners.” He added: “By aligning our approaches early, we ensure interoperability and shared advantage in the era of human-machine teaming.”
Prototype aircraft will be part of the Netherlands’ contribution to the program. Dutch personnel will work alongside U.S. teams at the Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The unit is responsible for developing operational concepts for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. It provides a continuous feedback loop between operators and developers to refine mission autonomy.
Col. Timothy Helfrich said: “CCA will fundamentally change how we project airpower.” He added: “Working with trusted allies allows us to field these capabilities more effectively.”
He said the focus on open architecture is essential. “The collaboration on open architecture based autonomous platforms is critical to ensuring our forces are interoperable and ready for combined operations,” he said.
The agreement reflects a broader effort to expand the role of autonomous systems in air combat. Officials said the initiative aims to improve survivability and provide a decisive advantage for joint and coalition forces.
