Netherlands finances two US Air Force CCA prototypes to develop F-35 drone-teaming experience.

The Netherlands is funding two U.S. Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes to gain early experience in drone teaming with the F-35A Lightning II, positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation air warfare. The CCA program accelerates the Air Force's readiness for high-intensity warfare by learning how to extend fighter reach, increase firepower, and reduce pilot risk through unmanned wingmen.

The funding will give Dutch personnel a direct access to testing of autonomous drones like the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and YFQ-44A Fury in real scenarios, including command-and-control, sensor fusion, and combat tasking alongside crewed fighters. It also directly supports the manned-unmanned teaming shift toward scalable, mixed manned-unmanned formations designed to boost survivability, expand mission capacity, and deliver mass in contested airspace without increasing pilot numbers.

Related topic: Netherlands Moves to Join U.S. CCA Program to Expand F-35s Sensor and Strike Power with Combat Drones

The YFQ-42A is built to stay in the air longer and support missions over time, while the YFQ-44A is designed to be faster and more flexible across different types of combat tasks. (Picture source: US Air Force)

On April 27, 2026, Air & Space Forces Magazine announced that the Netherlands would finance two prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) within the U.S. Air Force program, committing funds before completion of system development and while both candidate aircraft remain in flight testing. The bilateral agreement, formalized on April 23, 2026, integrates the Netherlands into Increment 1 of the program, with delivery of the aircraft scheduled to the Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The two Dutch-funded CCAs are expected to be either the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the YFQ-44A Fury produced by Anduril Industries, or include one of each.

Both prototypes are already in developmental trials in California and operational experimentation at Nellis. The Dutch contribution is structured as participation in development and operational integration rather than a procurement decision, as the unmanned aircraft remain U.S.-operated assets during this phase, with Dutch personnel embedded in the evaluation process. The entry process began with a Letter of Intent (LoI) signed on October 16, 2025, in Washington, establishing the initial Dutch participation in the program framework. In March 2026, the Dutch Ministry of Defence confirmed its intention to proceed through a Letter of Acceptance (LoA), with April 8, 2026, defined as the deadline to continue participation.

The April 23, 2026, agreement then sets the legal structure allowing access to program data, operational concepts, and technical interfaces without obligating acquisition. This new arrangement enables the evaluation of system performance, integration requirements, and operational concepts before any procurement decision is made. It also allows direct participation in the early concept of operations development, including command and control relationships between crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The framework is structured to provide operational learning while preserving national decision autonomy. The Netherlands, therefore, enters the program as a contributing partner rather than a customer at this stage. 

The YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is a jet-powered unmanned combat aircraft derived from the XQ-67A and optimized for endurance and mission persistence. It possesses a single engine, dorsal air intake, slender swept wings, and a V-tail arrangement, with an elongated fuselage designed to maximize internal volume for fuel and payload. It incorporates an internal weapons bay capable of carrying air-to-air munitions such as two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, while also supporting modular payloads including sensors or communications systems. Available data indicate a representative combat radius exceeding 1,300 kilometers, combined with a subsonic flight regime optimized for endurance rather than high-speed maneuvering.

The airframe includes features such as tricycle landing gear with trailing-arm configuration to support operations from austere or short airfields, along with provisions for electro-optical or infrared sensors mounted in the forward fuselage for target detection. The first pre-production aircraft completed its maiden flight on August 27, 2025, and is expected to support forward ISR, escort, and air-to-air support missions. Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury, originally developed by Blue Force Technologies, is a smaller, fighter-like unmanned combat aircraft, with dimensions roughly half those of an F-16.

Powered by a single Williams FJ44-4M turbofan producing about 17.8 kN of thrust, this CCA can reach speeds up to Mach 0.95 and operate at altitudes up to 15,200 meters, for a maximum gross takeoff weight of about 2,270 kilograms. Its aerodynamic configuration includes swept trapezoidal wings, a chin-mounted air intake, and a cruciform tail with a single vertical stabilizer. It completed its first flight in October 2025, and it can sustain 4.5 g in sustained flight and reach up to 9 g in maximum maneuvering conditions. Its payload is carried on external hardpoints for weapons or mission systems, with ongoing integration of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles during captive-carry testing.

Finally, the unmanned aircraft is designed for strike, electronic warfare, and air combat support, thanks to its Lattice onboard autonomy software that enables real-time mission execution and coordination with crewed fighters. The Fury is being tested in parallel with the Dark Merlin under the same program increment, which allows the evaluation of two distinct design philosophies, one focused on endurance and cost, the other on multi-mission capability and software integration. The U.S. Air Force's planning baseline for the CCA program includes a fleet of about 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft paired with approximately 500 crewed fighters, establishing a ratio of two loyal wingmen per fighter.

These aircraft are intended to operate with existing and future fighters, including the F-35A (which the Netherlands possesses), the F-22, the F-47, and the F/A-XX. Identified mission roles include forward intelligence collection, target designation, carriage of additional weapons, electronic warfare functions, and decoy operations. The drones are also intended to conduct high-risk missions in contested airspace, reducing the exposure of crewed aircraft and extending their operational capacity. This structure allows an increase in sortie generation and mission flexibility without expanding pilot numbers, while redistributing operational risk from pilots to unmanned systems. 

The Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base operates under Air Combat Command and serves as the primary environment for operational integration of the two Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Aircraft funded by the Netherlands will be assigned to this unit, and Dutch personnel will be embedded within U.S. teams.

The unit is responsible for developing tactics, techniques, and procedures during the development phase while conducting operational experimentation. A continuous feedback loop between operators and developers is used to refine system performance and operational concepts. The unit focuses on testing human-machine teaming in operationally relevant scenarios rather than controlled laboratory conditions. This includes evaluation of command relationships, mission autonomy, and integration with existing aircraft. The unit functions as a pre-operational validation structure rather than a formal test organization. Dutch participation is said to include research institutions such as TNO and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre, which gain access to program data and technical integration processes.

The objective is to build national expertise in autonomous systems and support integration with the Dutch F-35 fleet. For now, no production role for the Dutch industry has been defined within Increment 1 of the program. In parallel, the Netherlands is working with General Atomics on smaller intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones produced domestically by VDL. The Dutch approach treats Collaborative Combat Aircraft as a force multiplier for its existing fighter fleet rather than the development of a separate unmanned force. The Netherlands also retains the option to select non-U.S. drone systems in the future, maintaining procurement flexibility.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.