General Atomics’s U.S. and German aerospace affiliates have joined forces to develop a European collaborative combat aircraft, the aerospace firm announced Thursday.
The company’s plan involves adapting the YFQ-42A model, which was originally designed for the U.S. Air Force, into a version specifically tailored for European defense needs. The aircraft, currently undergoing ground tests in San Diego, is scheduled to conduct its first flight later this summer. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., which built the aircraft, is partnering with General Atomics Aerotec Systems, or GA-ATS, to manage European assembly and mission system integration.
“We’re eager to combine our uncrewed aircraft system expertise with the airborne sensor and weapons system expertise of the European defense industry, starting with our own affiliate GA Aerotec Systems GmbH in Germany,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue. “With a proven CCA design already in production today, these systems will be delivered in significant quantity with high-technology European inputs to build and sustain affordable mass for NATO’s fighter forces.”
GA-ASI officials confirmed on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show that the company is in discussions with multiple international partners about potential sales and co-production of the YFQ-42A-based drone. Company President Dave Alexander told Breaking Defense that the firm is exploring a pooled production model that could serve several allied nations, and that interest has emerged in both baseline configurations and in modified variants.
General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley also shared that the company had held multiple meetings with foreign buyers during the show’s opening days.
“We will supply a mature aircraft baseline already well along in its development, and we’ll look forward to German and other European national partnerships to bring these aircraft online in European and NATO air forces as the continent grows a new generation of highly capable defense systems,” Blue added.
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