First Production FQ-44A Unmanned Fighter Rolls Off U.S. Production Line

U.S. defense company Anduril Industries announced that the first production FQ-44A unmanned fighter jet has rolled off the production line.

The platform was produced at the newly built Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio, the company shared. The manufacturing site is capable of producing up to 12 such unmanned aircraft per month.

Development of the FQ-44A Fury began based on the Grackle highly maneuverable target aircraft project developed by Blue Force Technologies, which Anduril acquired in 2023.

The aircraft design was adapted to meet the requirements of the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to create relatively low-cost wingman drones.

In April 2024, the U.S. Air Force selected Anduril’s FQ-44A and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A for the final stage of the first phase of the CCA program.

The first test flight of the drone prototype took place on October 31, 2025.

The drone features a trapezoidal wing configuration and low-observable design elements, with dimensions approximately half the size of an F-16 fighter.

Powered by a jet engine, the aircraft can reach a high subsonic speed of up to Mach 0.95 (about 900 km/h).

The drone’s equipment includes the Lattice OS autonomous control system, which enables it to conduct missions alongside manned F-35, F-22, and F-15EX fighters.

Internal and external hardpoints allow the aircraft to carry up to 500 kg of payload, including air-to-air guided missiles or electronic warfare systems.

In particular, in the first half of July, it conducted its first launch of an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

The primary purpose of the FQ-44A is to conduct reconnaissance, penetrate air defenses, and launch strikes without risking the lives of pilots.