US Air Force tests Anduril semiautonomous combat jet drone without direct pilot control

The U.S. Air Force tested Anduril’s YFQ-44A semiautonomous combat drone at Edwards Air Force Base.

Airmen flew it through autonomous taxi, takeoff, mission tasking, and recovery using a laptop-based control system.

The exercise stressed operator-led maintenance and rapid turnaround, not direct stick-and-throttle piloting.

The demo advances the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program toward operational use to support fighters like the F-22 and F-35.