Anduril YFQ-44A "Fury" begins air-to-ground weapon fitness inspection, future mass production model will have multi-mission strike capabilities

The YFQ-44A "Fury" collaborative combat aircraft developed by the American company Anduril has begun inspections for the suitability of a variety of air-to-ground weapons. (Taken from Anduril Facebook)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] The YFQ-44A "Fury" collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) developed by the American company Anduril is developing from air-to-air combat to a multi-mission unmanned combat aircraft. The foreign military news website "The War Zone" reported that "Fury" has begun inspections for the suitability of multiple air-to-ground weapons. The future mass-produced FQ-44 is expected to have both air control and ground strike capabilities.

Anduril said that the YFQ-44A has been currently undergoing integration and fitting inspections of weapons such as the 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), the 250-pound Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) and low-cost cruise missiles. The latest images also show that 2.75-inch guided or unguided rockets are mounted on the belly of the aircraft. The company has also started the integration project of the Barracuda-500 low-cost cruise missile and plans to test other air-to-air weapons and target calibration pods.

The YFQ-44A is one of two prototypes in the first increment of the U.S. Air Force's "Cooperative Combat Aircraft" program, the other being General Atomics' YFQ-42A "Vengeance." The U.S. military currently positions the first incremental CCA for air superiority missions. The YFQ-44A currently has two underwing hardpoints that can mount two AIM-120 "Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles" and has completed live-fire firing during the U.S. Air Force's "Test Combat Team" testing period.

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However, Anduril said that in the future, the mass-produced FQ-44 will have four external hardpoints, which can mount four AIM-120s at one time, and can also be equipped with anti-ground weapons according to mission requirements. "War Zone" analysis shows that the technical difficulty of allowing "Fury" to use JDAM or SDB to attack preset fixed targets is relatively limited, allowing CCA to convert into an air-to-ground "weapon truck" to provide additional strike firepower when air combat support is not required.

Anduril is also promoting so-called "quarterback integration," allowing manned fighter jets such as the F-35 to command autonomous drones in the air. In a future combat formation, some Furies can carry AIM-120s to perform air control missions, while others can carry bombs and cruise missiles to carry out ground strikes, forming a coordinated operation between manned and unmanned platforms.

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Kenneth Wilsbach said that whether the second incremental CCA will include air-to-ground capabilities, more sensors, or develop in a lower-cost, attritable direction is still being evaluated and no final decision has been made.