The World’s First ‘Fighter Drones’ Are Coming. We’re Entering a ‘New Chapter of Aerial Warfare’ for America.

Last fall, the U.S. Air Force announced its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program—meant to create the world's first true sixth-generation fighter jet—would head back to the drawing board. Ultimately, Frank Kendall, then Secretary of the Air Force, decided to leave the decision to the incoming Trump Administration. Today, the service is still mulling whether or not it wants to build out a whole new sixth-generation stealth fighter, but it definitely plans to acquire at least 1,000 fighter drones in consecutive batches to assist its current fleet of F-35 fighters in air-to-air combat.

At a symposium earlier this month focused on professional development for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and the aerospace and defense industries, U.S. Air Force Gen. David Allvin finally announced the official military designations for the rival fighter drone prototypes selected last April for the initial batch of 100–150 "buddy" drones, generally referred to as "Loyal Wingmen" in industry jargon.

"For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42 Alpha and the YFQ-44 Alpha," Allvin said during a keynote speech at the symposium. "Maybe [it's] just symbolic, but it's telling the world that we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare."

View in Browser  SHOP EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIBE The World's First 'Fighter Drones' Are Coming. We're Entering a 'New Chapter of Aerial Warfare' for America. The World's First 'Fighter Drones' Are Coming. We're Entering a 'New Chapter of Aerial Warfare' for America. Last fall, the U.S. Air Force announced its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program—meant to create the world's first true sixth-generation fighter jet—would head back to the drawing board. Ultimately, Frank Kendall, then Secretary of the Air Force, decided to leave the decision to the incoming Trump Administration. Today, the service is still mulling whether or not it wants to build out a whole new sixth-generation stealth fighter, but it definitely plans to acquire at least 1,000 fighter drones in consecutive batches to assist its current fleet of F-35 fighters in air-to-air combat. At a symposium earlier this month focused on professional development for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and the aerospace and defense industries, U.S. Air Force Gen. David Allvin finally announced the official military designations for the rival fighter drone prototypes selected last April for the initial batch of 100–150 "buddy" drones, generally referred to as "Loyal Wingmen" in industry jargon. "For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42 Alpha and the YFQ-44 Alpha," Allvin said during a keynote speech at the symposium. "Maybe [it's] just symbolic, but it's telling the world that we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare." Last fall, the U.S. Air Force announced its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program—meant to create the world's first true sixth-generation fighter jet—would head back to the drawing board. Ultimately, Frank Kendall, then Secretary of the Air Force, decided to leave the decision to the incoming Trump Administration. Today, the service is still mulling whether or not it wants to build out a whole new sixth-generation stealth fighter, but it definitely plans to acquire at least 1,000 fighter drones in consecutive batches to assist its current fleet of F-35 fighters in air-to-air combat. At a symposium earlier this month focused on professional development for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and the aerospace and defense industries, U.S. Air Force Gen. David Allvin finally announced the official military designations for the rival fighter drone prototypes selected last April for the initial batch of 100–150 "buddy" drones, generally referred to as "Loyal Wingmen" in industry jargon. "For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42 Alpha and the YFQ-44 Alpha," Allvin said during a keynote speech at the symposium. "Maybe [it's] just symbolic, but it's telling the world that we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare." Read More Read More An Amateur Archaeologist Found a 1,000-Year-Old Ring With Incredible Implications And it's still glistening. Read More A 10-Year-Old Girl Went for a Walk on the Beach—and Stumbled Upon 5 Dinosaur Footprints Beats finding a seashell. Read More Amazon's Spring Sale Event Features Tons of Deals on Lawnmowers—Just In Time for Yard Season Get a head start on spring yardwork with a brand-new, editor-loved machine—for much, much less. Read More Conscious 'Alien Minds' Could Be Living Among Us—And We Don't Even Know It, Scientist Says Unorthodox biologist Michael Levin says cognition lies on a spectrum and that what humans perceive as consciousness could look radically different when it comes to a cell or emerging artificial intelligence. Read More AI Is Actually a Form of 'Alien Intelligence,' Harvard Professor Claims—And It Will Surpass Humans "It will be essential for us as a species to maintain superiority, but [...] we are not the pinnacle of creation," he says. Read More Need Assistance? Contact Us. Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Popular Mechanics is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2025 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779