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The Airframer Bulletin

General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger
All news ✕ Clear ‹ Current edition

Every Bulletin story and press release covering General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger, newest first.

33 items

2026
24 June Designed to operate alongside crewed fighters, CCA are intended to extend combat mass, survivability and situational awareness in contested environments through human-machine teaming.

U.S. Air Force awards production contracts for CCA development

General Atomics, Anduril and three autonomy software providers have secured key production awards as the Air Force pushes to field Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2030.

26 February The YFQ-42A completed a four-hour autonomous flight managed by a ground-based human operator.

GA-ASI names YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and completes autonomous tests

The designation reflects fighter and uncrewed status, while recent flights demonstrated mission autonomy software in four-hour test operations.

19 February Hivemind enables unmanned defence systems to sense, decide and act without human intervention.

Shield AI advances US Air Force CCA mission autonomy

The company’s Hivemind software integrates with Anduril’s Fury aircraft and advances system testing ahead of planned flight demonstrations.

19 February The achievement forms part of an accelerated YFQ-42A development schedule that began in August 2025 and has already included multiple aircraft builds and autonomous take-offs and landings.

GA-ASI advances YFQ-42A autonomy with Collins Sidekick

The four-hour airborne mission validated third-party software operating through A-GRA within the Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme.

2025
20 November The F‑22 issued in-flight commands to the MQ‑20 through a tablet and Lockheed Martin’s GRACE module.

Fighter and drone cooperate in Nevada crewed-uncrewed test

An F-22 and MQ-20 flew in coordination to demonstrate open-architecture control using government-owned communication systems and shared radio integration.

17 October

ReleaseGA-ASI selected to support U.S. Navy CCA design effort

27 August

ReleaseGA-ASI marks another aviation first with YFQ-42A CCA flight testing

17 July

ReleaseA new transatlantic partnership for European CCA

21 May The YFQ-42A production-representative test vehicle.

GA-ASI moves into ground testing of CCA contender

Ground testing of the YFQ-42A production-representative test vehicle is vital preparation ahead of its planned first flight later this summer.

20 March

ReleaseShield AI partners with Korea Aerospace Industries to advance AI-powered autonomy with Hivemind Enterprise 

6 March

ReleaseShield AI raises $240M at $5.3B valuation to scale Hivemind Enterprise, an AI-powered autonomy developer platform

4 March

ReleaseGA-ASI flies government reference autonomy stack at Orange Flag 25-1

3 March

ReleaseGeneral Atomics introduces Quadratix software enterprise

3 March

ReleaseGA-ASI welcomes USAF designation for new CCA: YFQ-42A

2024
24 April

ReleaseGA-ASI selected to build CCA for AFLCMC

2023
10 October

ReleaseGA-ASI advances aerial recovery for SUAS and ALE

10 August

ReleaseGA-ASI opens new hangar at FTTC in Grand Forks, ND

14 July

ReleaseGA-ASI's unmanned aircraft cross 8 million flight hours

11 April

ReleaseGA-ASI flies MQ-20 Avenger autonomously using LEO SATCOM datalink

2022
10 January

ReleaseTwo GA-ASI Avengers equipped with Lockheed Martin Legion Pods autonomously send fused air threat data to command centre

2021
3 March

ReleaseGA-ASI's Avenger ER receives FAA Experimental Certificate

2020
4 December

ReleaseGA-ASI demonstrates government-supplied CODE autonomy engine

2018
9 April

ReleasePredator series aircraft pass five million flight hour mark

5 April

ReleaseAvenger ER sets new endurance record

2016
10 November

ReleaseGA-ASI conducts first flight of Avenger Extended Range

11 July

ReleaseGA-ASI's Predator C Avenger receives FAA Experimental Certificate

13 June

ReleaseGA-ASI Predator C Avenger flies with MS-177 long-range sensor

2012
7 February

ReleaseSecond Predator C Avenger UAS completes successful first flight

2011
19 August

ReleaseComposite Horizons, Inc. awarded contracts for composite parts on General Atomics Avenger UAS

15 February

ReleaseGA-ASI completes key wind tunnel test on Sea Avenger UAS model

2010
19 July

ReleaseAvenger ready for deployment

3 May

ReleaseGA-ASI introduces Sea Avenger UAS for UCLASS carrier operations

2009
20 April

ReleaseGA-ASI successfully executes first flight of Predator C Avenger