The Robotic Wingman Race: Every CCA Unveiled at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow

In May 2026, three Ghost Bats flew from Point Mugu, California — its first international operational flights — and in July 2026 it became the first robotic wingman to fly alongside U.S. aircraft in a major multinational exercise (Valiant Shield 2026) . At Farnborough, Boeing positioned the Ghost Bat for European demand and said production-rate manufacturing could begin within two years .

Despite this operational maturity, the U.S. Air Force did not select Boeing for its CCA Increment 1 production contract.

U.S. Air Force CCA Increment 1: General Atomics and Anduril win big

On June 17, 2026, the U.S. Air Force awarded production contracts for CCA Increment 1 to General Atomics (FQ-42A) and Anduril Industries (FQ-44A Fury), concluding a source selection four months ahead of schedule . The Air Force plans an initial fleet of roughly 150 aircraft split between the two designs, with deliveries before the end of the decade . Boeing, along with Kratos, Lockheed Martin, and others, was eliminated.

Anduril's YFQ-44A also completed the program's first live-fire test in July 2026, firing an AIM-120 AMRAAM . General Atomics displayed a full-scale model of its CCA at Farnborough .

Germany's competitive procurement: A three-way race under €1B

Germany had been on track to award a direct contract to Boeing (teamed with Rheinmetall) for the Ghost Bat, but at the Farnborough Airshow on July 22, 2026, Berlin formally opened the competition . The expanded process now evaluates three bids under contracts valued at roughly €1 billion :

• Boeing/Rheinmetall — offering a German-adapted MQ-28 Ghost Bat, shown publicly at ILA Berlin in June 2026 .
• Airbus/Kratos — offering the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie with Airbus's MARS mission system. Two Valkyries are being readied for flight in Manching, Germany, later in 2026, aiming for Luftwaffe service entry by 2029 .
• An unidentified third contender — not named in open sources but confirmed by Bloomberg as a participant .

Germany's requirement is driven in part by the collapse of the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF), a roughly €100 billion program that became mired in industrial disputes and has effectively stalled, creating an urgent need for a near-term unmanned combat capability .

Airbus U760 Ravenstorm and the Valkyrie plan

Airbus has publicly discussed its U760 "Ravenstorm" concept as a longer-term European sovereign design, but its immediate German offering is the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie paired with Airbus's MARS (Mission & Autonomy Reconfiguration System) . Two Valkyries are being fitted with Airbus mission systems at Manching and are expected to fly in 2026, with a target of Luftwaffe operational capability in 2029 .

BAE Systems Brontanax: The UK's new entrant

On July 22, 2026 (Day 3 of Farnborough), BAE Systems unveiled the Brontanax, a CCA roughly the size of a BAE Hawk trainer jet . It has been in development since 2022, is part of the UK's £300 million Storm Fighter program, and is designed to operate alongside Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35, and Tempest/Storm Fighter . Flight testing is scheduled to begin in 2027, with service entry targeted for 2030 . The Brontanax is intended for electronic warfare and precision strike, and BAE is positioning it for both UK and export markets .

Broader stakes: FCAS collapse and the German mass requirement

The urgency across Europe is largely a consequence of the Franco-German FCAS program effectively collapsing under industrial infighting between Dassault and Airbus, leaving Germany and France without a near-term next-generation fighter roadmap . Germany is now pursuing a CCA off-the-shelf procurement to rebuild combat mass, with reported requirements of up to 400 uncrewed combat aircraft to fly alongside its Eurofighter and future F-35 fleets. The collapse has also opened the door for non-European solutions (Boeing, Kratos) in the German market — an outcome unthinkable a few years ago .