Anduril Industries has completed ground fit-checks of a broad family of air-to-ground munitions on its YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft, moving the uncrewed fighter's mission set well beyond the air-to-air role it was originally optimized for. The company detailed the weapons integration at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference and the news was reported by aviation outlets on September 16, 2026.
A full ground-attack menu on a fighter drone
The YFQ-44A prototype was fit-checked with 500-pound GBU-54 Laser JDAMs, 250-pound GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, LAU-131A/A rocket pods carrying 2.75-inch Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets, low-cost cruise missiles, and external targeting pods. Anduril also confirmed that integration work on its own Barracuda 500 stand-off munition is under way. The current YFQ-44A carries two external hardpoints; the production FQ-44A is planned with four.
Fit-check now, live drop later
The tests are static ground verifications only; none of the munitions has been dropped or fired from the aircraft yet. Fit-checks confirm mechanical, electrical and safe-separation clearances before the U.S. Air Force greenlights flight tests. Anduril has said it cannot fully ramp production work until Congress finalizes the FY2027 procurement funding that would trigger the CCA Increment 1 production contract.
Fury edges toward operational trials
The weapons work follows July 2026 formation flights with F-35 Lightning II fighters at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, where the Fury demonstrated crewed-uncrewed teaming under the CCA program. The Air Force's plan for at least 1,000 CCAs, with an initial 500 to enter service by 2032, has Anduril and rival General Atomics YFQ-42 Dark Merlin racing to production. Anduril says each production Fury should cost less than $20 million at current planned volumes, with its Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio capable of turning out about 150 aircraft a year.
Beyond air-to-air
Expanding into ground strike changes the calculus for how the Air Force uses the Fury alongside crewed fighters. "Quarterback" integration testing, which routes tactical decisions between an F-35 or F-22 and a formation of CCAs, is now progressing through hardware and software simulations. Combined with the new munitions options and the Emerald Flag kill-chain exercise scheduled for December, the YFQ-44A's air-to-ground fit-check signals that the USAF is preparing the Fury for a broader operational role than earlier plans described.
Reporting based on coverage from The Aviationist, TWZ and Interesting Engineering.