The US Marine Corps (USMC) will use the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) YFQ-42A uncrewed aircraft to help with the development of future air operations.
The aircraft was selected under the auspices of the USMC’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) effort, according to GA-ASI.
The work will see a USMC mission package integrated with the aircraft “as a surrogate to evaluate integration with crewed fighters”. It follows what GA-ASI describes as a competitive selection.
“The USMC contract includes the rapid development of autonomy for the government-supplied mission kit – a cost-effective, sensor-rich, software-defined suite capable of delivering kinetic and non-kinetic effects – positioning the solution for use in expeditionary operations,” says GA-ASI.
“This work will support evaluations of future MUX TACAIR capabilities.”
GA-ASI’s USMC announcement comes one month after Northrop Grumman confirmed that its offering – based on the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie – had been selected by the USMC for the MUX TACAIR programme.
The USMC award will see Northrop acting as the prime contractor to integrate its autonomous flight capabilities into the uncrewed XQ-58A. Both the USMC and the US Air Force (USAF) have used the Kratos jet to evaluate the potential of pilotless fighters, which are known as collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs).
In USMC service Northrop says its yet-unnamed XQ-58 derivative will work alongside crewed tactical aircraft to provide air dominance in high-threat environments.
The YFQ-42A is competing with the Anduril Industries YFQ-44A for the USAF’s initial CCA requirement, with a decision expected in 2026.
In November 2025, the company said that two prototypes had commenced flying, with a third on the way.
