YFQ-44A tests dual autonomy stacks in flight

Anduril has announced that its YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has flown with two different mission autonomy software suites from separate vendors during a single sortie.

The flight saw the aircraft operate with Shield AI’s Hivemind software before switching mid-air to Anduril’s own Lattice for Mission Autonomy stack, completing the same series of test points with each system before landing safely, the company stated. The milestone forms part of the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme, which is intended to field semi-autonomous aircraft designed to operate alongside crewed fighters.

According to Anduril, the YFQ-44A took off under autonomous control and approached a designated point where Hivemind was activated to execute a set of test cards representative of future mission concepts of operations. Following completion of those tests, the aircraft transitioned to Lattice for Mission Autonomy, which repeated the same test points. The company said the integration of both autonomy stacks was enabled by early adoption of the Air Force’s Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, a standard intended to support modular and competitive software development.

Dr. Jason Levin wrote that the programme has progressed rapidly since Anduril was selected to produce CCA prototypes in April 2024. “YFQ-44A flew with two different mission autonomy software suites, made by two different vendors, on the same aircraft, on the same flight.” He added that integration of a separately developed autonomy stack represents “a significant technical endeavor” and that the milestone unlocks further testing, including mission concepts, weapons integration and multi-ship operations, according to the company.

On collaboration with Shield AI, Levin said engineers from both firms worked closely to integrate Hivemind with the aircraft’s flight control software. “Engineers from Anduril and Shield AI have worked shoulder-to-shoulder to integrate Hivemind seamlessly with the flight control software on YFQ-44A.” He stated that the software “performed as expected” during the flight test.

Anduril also highlighted development of its own autonomy product. “This flight with YFQ-44A marks a major milestone for Lattice for Mission Autonomy,” Levin wrote, adding that the company is committed to building both the capability and warfighter trust in the system.