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Pratt & Whitney, GE Aerospace, and Honeywell are advancing the development of small turbofan engines for future unmanned fighter drones. As the U.S. Air Force continues work on its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, these engine manufacturers are designing propulsion systems to power a new generation of drone wingmen intended to operate alongside manned stealth fighters.
The CCA is envisioned as a smaller aircraft compared to current manned platforms like the F-35 Lightning II, which uses an engine capable of producing 43,000 pounds of thrust. In contrast, the new engines being developed by Pratt & Whitney, GE Aerospace, and Honeywell are targeting thrust outputs between 800 and 1,600 pounds. The U.S. Navy is also working on similar drone concepts to support its upcoming sixth-generation F/A-XX fighter.
Development of multiple CCA prototypes has been underway across the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. A recent milestone was achieved in August 2025 when a prototype General Atomics YFQ-42A CCA completed a successful test flight. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink commented on this achievement: "In record time, CCA went from concept to flight — proving we can deliver combat capability at speed when we clear barriers and align around the warfighter."
