UPDATED 4/24/24 at 5:48 PM ET with details from an Air Force press release and comments from CCA vendors.
WASHINGTON — Defense startup Anduril and drone maker General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) have been picked by the Air Force to build and test drone prototypes for the next phase of the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the Air Force announced tonight.
As Breaking Defense first reported, the five contractors were previously picked by the Air Force for the program’s first phase, which largely focused on design work.
That second increment would provide vendors eliminated today, as well as new ones, another shot at a CCA contract.
In images today touting the company’s win, Anduril showcased the Fury drone, appearing to confirm the drone was the company’s bid.
With the CCA program, Secretary Kendall and the Air Force have embraced a fast-moving, forward-looking approach to field autonomous systems at speed and scale,” Anduril CEO and Co-Founder Brian Schimpf said in a statement.
In a statement, Lockheed said the company “remains committed to advancing the state of the art in autonomous systems for air and ground missions.
These commitments and work are ongoing.” A representative for Northrop did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UPDATED 4/24/24 at 5:48 PM ET with information from a press release issued by the Air Force and remarks from vendors representing CCA.
WASHINGTON — The Air Force said tonight that it has selected defense startup Anduril and drone manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to construct and test drone prototypes for the next stage of the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
Two finalists remain from a pool of five after the Air Force’s decision. Thus, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing, the other three vendors, are no longer in the running.
As per the Air Force, “the companies that were not chosen to construct these production-representative CCA vehicles and carry out the flight test program will remain a part of the larger industry partner vendor pool, which comprises over 20 companies, to compete for future endeavors, including future production contracts.”.
Prior to the program’s initial phase, which was mostly concentrated on design work, the Air Force had selected the five contractors, as Breaking Defense first revealed. By limiting the options, today’s selection helps vendors bring their ideas from paper to reality. In the next phase of the CCA, vendors will “complete detailed designs, build prototypes and test production-representative test articles,” Air Force Acquisition Chief Andrew Hunter recently informed lawmakers during a congressional hearing. “.
The CCA project, which was unveiled by the service as a significant multibillion dollar initiative in the budget for the fiscal year 2024, intends to initially field up to 1,000 drones. In the first round of CCA work, officials intend to make a “competitive production decision” by FY26 and “field a fully operational capability before the end of the decade,” according to a press release issued by the service today. “.
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Kendall disclosed at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in February that the current CCA competition is the program’s first “increment,” with a second one scheduled for the FY25 budget. That second increment would give new and eliminated vendors alike another opportunity to win a CCA contract. According to Kendall, the second increment may also include international cooperation, and the service’s announcement today suggested that the program might include foreign military sales.
Kendall went on to discuss the “possibility” that multiple vendors’ drone bids could be accepted for the first increment during the roundtable in February. If industry contributed a portion of the costs, he also suggested that up to three vendors could be carried through the earlier test phase.
It’s unclear if that idea paid off, as there are only two vendors left on the list today. When asked recently if the industry had been persuaded to foot a portion of the bill, Hunter responded to reporters by saying, “Cost sharing is not core to our approach on CCA.”. “.
The down select decision “does not exclude any of the vendors from competing for the future Increment 1 production contract,” according to a press release from the service today. This likely means that businesses will need to invest internal funds to advance their designs and compete for a production deal down the road.
What Companies Offered, And How Things Proceeded?
With regard to particular designs, GA-ASI has declared that its Gambit drone family will be its entry, and Anduril’s acquisition of autonomous aircraft vendor Blue Force last year positioned the Fury drone as Anduril’s bid. Images released today, showcasing the company’s victory, showed Anduril demonstrating the Fury drone, seemingly confirming that the drone was part of the bid.
“There’s no time to waste carrying on with business as usual. Brian Schimpf, CEO and co-founder of Anduril, said in a statement that “with the CCA program, Secretary Kendall and the Air Force have embraced a fast-moving, forward-looking approach to field autonomous systems at speed and scale.”. It is a privilege for us to have been chosen for this exceptional chance, which indicates a need for the defense industrial base to keep growing. Anduril is glad to have opened the door for other unconventional defense contractors to compete and complete large-scale projects. “.
In a statement, GA-ASI President David Alexander said, “Throughout our 30-year history, GA-ASI has been at the forefront of rapidly advancing unmanned aircraft systems that support our warfighters.”. “Due to our unwavering dedication to unmanned air-to-air combat operations and unparalleled UAS expertise, the USAF is advancing with GA-ASI, guaranteeing the production of CCA aircraft at scale to provide the warfighter with affordable combat mass.”. “.
Boeing said today that it provided a “proprietary solution tailored to the U.S. market.” in a statement. s. neither the MQ-25 Stingray nor the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, citing the Air Force’s special CCA phase one requirements.
“Although we are disappointed that this stage of the Air Force’s CCA program will not proceed, we remain steadfast in our resolve to supply the United States with next-generation autonomous combat aircraft. s. as well as international military clients. Work is still being done on a number of confidential projects that Boeing is unable to reveal, as well as the MQ-25 Stingray and its future derivatives, the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, and other members of our expanding autonomous family.
Additionally, Lockheed and Northrop have not disclosed which candidates they submitted.
The business “remains committed to advancing the state of the art in autonomous systems for air and ground missions,” according to a statement released by Lockheed. We are still working on creating and integrating pathfinding open architectures, mission systems, human factors interfaces, and ground control systems like the Multi-Domain Combat SystemTM. With an emphasis on integrating CCA with F-35 and F-22, we have been working for some time to demonstrate the revolutionary potential of autonomous and AI/ML enabled operations in crewed and uncrewed DoD systems. These duties and responsibilities never end. “.
A request for comment from Northrop’s representative was not immediately answered.
