What Happened
General Atomics Partners With Spirit Defense For Uncrewed Combat Aircraft
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has partnered with Spirit Defense, a Boeing subsidiary, to manufacture the FQ-42 Vengeance uncrewed combat aircraft for the US Air Force. The partnership aims to expand production capacity and reduce dependence on in-house manufacturing, as the Air Force scales up its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. The US Air Force plans to field 500 combat-ready CCAs by 2032, with an eventual fleet of approximately 1,000 uncrewed combat aircraft. The partnership was announced on October 23, 2026, and was first reported by AeroTime.