General David Orwen, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, recently announced that the first two prototype collaborative combat aircraft of the Air Force have been assigned mission design series numbers and will begin flying this summer. The collaborative combat aircraft manufactured by Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aerospace Systems was the first aircraft of the United States Air Force to be referred to as combat drones. During his keynote speech at the Air Force and Space Force Association's combat seminar, Alvin stated that General Atomics' collaborative combat aircraft is now named YFQ-42A, while Andulier's collaborative combat aircraft is called YFQ-44A. According to the naming convention of the United States Air Force, F represents fighter jets and Q represents drones. The prototype aircraft needs to be prefixed with Y, while these collaborative combat aircraft will have this prefix removed once they are put into production. Orven said, "This is the first time in our history that such a fighter jet designation has been used. Although it is only symbolic, we are telling the world that we are opening a new chapter in air combat." Collaborative combat aircraft are autonomous drones that will one day fly alongside manned fighters such as the F-35 or the "next-generation air superiority" fighter jets being considered by the Air Force. The US Air Force is investing heavily in collaborative combat aircraft to expand air power, provide strike capabilities, conduct reconnaissance, conduct electronic warfare operations, and even act as bait. So far, General Atomics has referred to its collaborative combat aircraft as the "Abandoned" drone, while Anduril's collaborative combat aircraft is known as the "Fury" drone. (New Society)