FQ-42A: April 2026 Mishap and Production Status
The FQ-42A is General Atomics' Collaborative Combat Aircraft. It made its first flight on August 27, 2025. On June 17, 2026 it won a production contract as part of an Air Force order for at least 150 CCAs combined with Anduril. A prototype had a mishap after takeoff on April 7, 2026, and General Atomics paused flight tests; no injuries were reported.
What the FQ-42A Is
The FQ-42A is an uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the United States Air Force. The Air Force assigned the experimental designation YFQ-42A to the flying prototypes and shifted to the operational designation FQ-42A when awarding production contracts.
The aircraft operates as part of the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Increment 1 is dedicated to the air-to-air mission, and the FQ-42A competes there with Anduril's YFQ-44A. Dark Merlin is a name reported for the aircraft; it is not an official designation.
The Air Force selected General Atomics and rival defense contractor Anduril for Increment 1 design work in April 2024. The Air Force chose them over designs offered by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Flight Test Milestones and Development Timeline
The prototype aircraft logged the earliest milestone in the entire competitive program. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the YFQ-42A completed its first flight on August 27, 2025, operating from a California test facility. That sortie made the YFQ-42A the first CCA to fly.
A YFQ-42A mishap on April 7, 2026 paused flight tests (covered in the next section), and the Air Force awarded production contracts on June 17, 2026.
The June 17 awards were engineering and manufacturing development plus production contracts. They cover at least 150 CCAs combined by the end of the decade.
The April 2026 Takeoff Mishap
On April 7, 2026, a YFQ-42A prototype had a mishap shortly after takeoff at a company-owned California test airport. The Defense Post reported no injuries. General Atomics paused flight tests.
General Atomics said its procedures and safeguards worked as intended. The root-cause investigation was still ongoing at the time of that report, and the sources for this page do not say what caused the mishap or whether flight tests have resumed.
The mishap did not stop the Air Force from awarding General Atomics a production contract on June 17, 2026.
Published Performance Constraints and Cost Targets
The sources for this page do not publish the FQ-42A's engine, dimensions, weight, speed or range.
Air & Space Forces Magazine reports the Increment 1 performance requirement as a combat radius of at least 700 nautical miles. That is a program requirement; the FQ-42A's own range is not published.
The Air Force's reported Increment 1 cost target is less than $30 million per tail, described as roughly one-third the cost of an F-35. It is a program target and is not a price for the FQ-42A. The contract value is classified, and the sources give no unit price.
| Metric or Parameter | Air Force CCA Program Target | FQ-42A Published Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Profile | Air-to-air (Increment 1) | Increment 1 competitor to the YFQ-44A |
| Combat Radius | At least 700 nautical miles | Not published |
| Program Cost Target | Less than $30 million per tail | Not published (no unit price) |
| Total Increment 1 Build | At least 150 aircraft combined | Split between General Atomics and Anduril unpublished |
| Propulsion System | Not stated | Not published |
Two Vendors Share Increment 1
The June 17, 2026 production decision went to two vendors, General Atomics and Anduril. General Atomics will build the FQ-42A. Anduril will build its FQ-44A Fury. The Air Force plans to procure at least 150 production aircraft across both designs before the decade ends.
The sources do not state the production split between the two airframe designs. Our side-by-side analysis of the FQ-42A, FQ-44A and Vectis is in the Vectis vs FQ-42A vs FQ-44A comparison.
Autonomy software for the aircraft is awarded separately. The Air Force awarded mission-autonomy production options to Anduril, Collins Aerospace, and Shield AI. That wider autonomy pool also includes General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, on six-month contract line items. The reported plan is a potential down-select to two vendors and then one by summer 2027.
Strategic Role for General Atomics
General Atomics is privately held, and the sources give no General Atomics financials.
The Increment 1 contract covers at least 150 CCAs combined by the end of the decade. General Atomics' share of that order is not published, and the contract value is classified.
The FQ-42A is not for buyers who need a fielded system today. It is a new production program with no published unit price, and the sources name no customer other than the Air Force. Our view would change if a unit price, or the split of the 150 aircraft between General Atomics and Anduril, were published. For cost figures across other programs, see our military drone cost page.
Drones and UAS FAQs
What is the FQ-42A Dark Merlin?
The FQ-42A is a Collaborative Combat Aircraft manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the United States Air Force. Dark Merlin is a name reported for the airframe and is not an official designation. YFQ-42A and FQ-42A are the prototype and production designations. Increment 1, where it competes with the YFQ-44A, is dedicated to the air-to-air mission.
What engine does the YFQ-42A use?
The sources for this page do not publish the YFQ-42A's engine. They give no range figure for it either; 700 nautical miles is the Increment 1 program requirement and is not a published spec of the YFQ-42A.
How much does the YFQ-42A cost?
Individual unit pricing for the FQ-42A has not been disclosed, and contract award values are classified. The Air Force established an overarching cost goal for Increment 1 aircraft of less than $30 million per tail, roughly one-third the cost of an F-35.
What is the difference between the FQ-42 and the FQ-44?
The FQ-42 is designed and built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, while the FQ-44 is manufactured by Anduril Industries. Both aircraft were selected on June 17, 2026, to fulfill the Air Force CCA Increment 1 requirement. They are separate designs from competing companies, and the sources for this page publish no side-by-side specifications.
Did the YFQ-42A crash?
A YFQ-42A prototype had a mishap shortly after takeoff on April 7, 2026, at a company-owned airport in California. No injuries were reported. General Atomics paused test flights, and the incident did not prevent the Air Force from awarding General Atomics a production contract on June 17, 2026.