WASHINGTON — The US Navy has awarded contracts to four major aerospace prime contractors — Anduril, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Atomics — for “conceptual designs” for a carrier-based autonomous combat drone, according to a Navy document obtained by Breaking Defense.
Additionally, Lockheed Martin is under contract for the drone’s “common control,” according to a slide on Collaborative Combat Aircraft from the Navy’s program executive office for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, dated Aug. 20.
The contract awards, which previously were not publicly known, are the clearest sign that the Navy is moving forward with the concept of a “loyal wingman” aircraft that can operate from the deck of a carrier. Both the Navy and Air Force have pursued the concept of CCAs, but while the Air Force put its program in the spotlight, the sea service’s own efforts have been largely shrouded in secrecy.
It is unclear how long the companies have been under contract and working on their CCA designs. A Navy official told Breaking Defense that the document’s information concerning the four aerospace primes and Lockheed Martin “is accurate,” but did not provide further information.
After publication, both Anduril and Northrop confirmed their participation in the program.
“We’re partnering with the US Navy to develop conceptual designs for their future collaborative combat aircraft and are bringing our deep experience in naval aviation and advanced autonomy,” Northrop said in a statement.
Anduril said it had been selected by the Navy “to develop designs for carrier-ready Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). We are focused on delivering an aircraft built specifically to the Navy’s distinct needs, at rapid speed and formidable scale.”
In a statement, Lockheed spokesperson Melissa Dalton confirmed the company is under contract for the common control system, specifically with the Skunk Works MDCX autonomy platform. Dalton noted that the company tested the MDCX with a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger last year, “advancing technology necessary for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”
General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley directed specific questions about the Navy’s CCA program to the service, but noted that the company rolled out notional designs for carrier-capable CCAs last summer. Those concepts adapt the YFQ-42A design currently being tested under the Air Force’s program for shipboard operations, he said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Boeing deferred comment to the Navy.
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While the Navy and Air Force both have unique needs for a so-called “Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” in general, both concepts involve novel drones that will fly alongside the services’ fighter jets.
Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, the flag officer on the chief of naval operations’ staff in charge of developing CCA requirements, has previously said the Navy is coordinating with the Air Force on development of common standards for elements like mission planning, but much of the work has been behind closed doors.
One of the unique requirements for the Navy for any CCA program will be the need for it to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. The service is already in the midst of perfecting autonomous carrier-based flights through its unmanned aerial tanker program, MQ-25. Navy brass has been adamant that the MQ-25, which is designed by Boeing, will successfully fly from carriers in 2026.
The Navy may also be chasing a significantly cheaper price point than the Air Force of about $15 million per plane, compared to the $25 million to $30 million per aircraft cited by former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. In April 2024 Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, the Navy’s program executive for unmanned systems and weapons, said that cheaper price point would enable the service to use a single CCA multiple times for surveillance and strike missions before ending its lifespan as a one-way attack drone.
“I want something that’s going to fly for a couple hundred hours. The last hour it’s either a target or a weapon,” he said then. “But I’m not going to sustain them for 30 years.”
At the time, Tedford said the Navy was “in the process” of beginning analysis for a CCA program and intended for initial studies to focus on the payloads, sensors and mission systems that will be needed on drones, with fielding of drones slated for “the second half of this decade.”
Last November, the Navy conducted a demonstration where it used its Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station (UMCS) to control a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger. The UMCS is based on Lockheed Martin’s MDCX autonomy platform, which was developed by its secretive Skunk Works unit.
Naval Air Systems Command called the test “part of an effort to advance technology for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”
As for the Air Force, the service previously selected General Atomics and Anduril to build and flight test prototype drones from an initial group of five contractors who participated in the program’s design phase.
General Atomics’ CCA variant, known as the YFQ-42A, has entered flight testing, the Air Force announced last week, while the Anduril drone, YFQ-44A, is “expected to enter flight testing in the near future,” a service spokesperson said previously.
The Air Force’s vision for the program, unveiled in fiscal 2024 as a multibillion endeavor, would see it initially field as many as 1,000 drones. The service also intends to hold multiple iterations of the CCA competition to provide previous and new vendors a chance to bring new designs forward.
Updated 9/5/25 at 2:45 pm ET with comment from Anduril and Northrop. An earlier update added comment from Lockheed.