Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink designated the FQ-42A as "Vengeance" and the FQ-44A as "Fury" Monday during an update to the service's autonomous aviation plans. The U.S. Air Force aims to field at least 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by 2032, an increase over recently stated requirements. The service also now requires 500 new drones to replace the current MQ-9 fleet.

These robotic wingmen are designed to operate alongside manned fighters to expand the fleet's overall combat mass. The updated targets for the CCA program formalize a larger investment in unmanned systems as the military modernizes its aerial capabilities to integrate autonomous platforms into primary combat roles.