General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is participating in the 25th anniversary of the International Fighter Conference as the event’s sole Four-Star Lead Partner, underscoring its commitment to the future of autonomous fighter jets.
GA-ASI is highlighting its growing production fleet of unmanned combat jets, which includes the MQ-20 Avenger®, the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, and the YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). This fleet is intended to define the global future of autonomous and semi-autonomous combat jets by leading the way in autonomy development, manned-unmanned teaming, and affordable, rapid delivery at scale.
The company’s vision extends to its Gambit Series of modular, scalable, uncrewed fighters, which is intended to help U.S. forces, allies, and partners quickly evolve global air forces. GA-ASI publicly promised to build and fly a production-representative uncrewed jet fighter for the U.S. Air Force by summer 2025. This promise was followed by the launch of the YFQ-42A CCA in August, which the company claims is pioneering a new era for fighter jets. Flight operations are currently ongoing across the growing fleet.
David R. Alexander, President of GA-ASI, said, “The YFQ-42A is a revolutionary aircraft, and the fleet is in production and in the air today. This isn’t a ‘wait and see’ moment. We’re flying. We’re delivering. And we’re advancing this future of combat aviation, the same way we have for more than three decades.”
Since 1992, GA-ASI has delivered over 1,300 combat aircraft to U.S. forces and international partners, surpassing 9 million total flight hours in 2025. The company’s line of aircraft, including the Predator®, Reaper®, Gray Eagle®, SkyGuardian®, and SeaGuardian®, is presented as the standard for medium-altitude, long-endurance Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) performance.
The MQ-20 Avenger, an internally funded uncrewed combat jet with a first flight in 2009, continues to serve as a test bed for advanced autonomy integration and demonstration. It incorporates the latest software from U.S. government sources, leading industry suppliers, and GA-ASI’s own autonomy software development teams.
For the International Fighter Conference, taking place in Rome from November 4-6, GA-ASI plans to offer attendees a chance to see a full-scale model display of the YFQ-42A CCA co-located inside the show venue.
