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

For years, the idea of an AI-powered "loyal wingman" drone that flies alongside crewed fighter jets belonged to concept art and test ranges. At the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow, that shifted decisively. The show revealed a frantic, global race to field operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), with at least five major programs vying for contracts, flight hours, and relevance. Here is exactly what was announced, who is leading, and what the timelines look like.

Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat: The leader, but not the US pick

Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat, developed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), is the only operational-class CCA already in serial flight test. It crossed 100 test flights in March 2025 and by June 2026 had completed more than 150 flights across eight Block I airframes . A Block 2 MQ-28 destroyed an aerial target with an AIM-120 AMRAAM in December 2025 .

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 .