Kinumpirma ni Acting Air Force Undersecretary Krysten E. Jones na limang kumpanya ang magtatayo ng fleet ng 1,000 CCA o higit pa sa isang kaganapan sa Washington DC noong nakaraang linggo.
Ibinunyag ni Undersecretary Jones ang mga parangal sa kontrata sa mga kumpanya sa isang briefing ng Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) nang hindi tinukoy ang mga partikular na kumpanya. Ang maliit na iba pang detalye ay ibinigay sa isang tagapagsalita ng Air Force na idinagdag lamang na ang mga kumpanya ay “sa ilalim ng kontrata upang ipagpatuloy ang mabilis na pag-unlad para sa produksyon para sa CCA [Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”
However, Air & Space Forces magazine confirmed that the five companies selected are Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Anduril, and General Atomics. The group represents a fairly predictable slate of participants though it leaves out Kratos Defense which many observers thought had an inside track with its experimentation with the Air Force with its XQ-58A Valkyrie.
In 2022, a pair of Valkyries completed a series of flights for the Skyborg Program working in cooperation with the USAF Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the 40th Flight Test Squadron, and 46th Test Squadron.
Anduril represents the only on-traditional contractor among the group, selected on the strength of its “Fury” CCA prototype which it recently gained with the acquisition of autonomous adversary aircraft startup, Blue Force Technologies. In a company release, Anduril commended “Secretary Kendall and the U.S. Air Force for their leadership and commitment to integrating new technologies into the force.”
Given the declining state of the U.S. Air Force which a recent report rated as “very weak”, the commendation of Secretary Kendall and USAF leadership smacks more of a “thanks for all the beans” ingratiation than any serious endorsement of their stewardship of the service.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman issued their own statements about their confidence in stepping up to design and build “affordable” advanced CCAs to deliver combat effects in quantity.
But any sort of tactical mass that CCAs may be able to offer hinges almost entirely on their cost and the cost of the weapons they might employ. The unmanned, relatively low-observable CCAs capable of escorting or coordinating with crewed aircraft that the Air Force has expressed a desire for are expected to perform missions such as suppression of air defenses, communications, electronic warfare, or weapons trucks.
These are costly missions and the simple removal of human beings from the platforms performing does not guarantee cheaper combat power. However, it does hold appeal for political and military leaders eager to appear to wage military campaigns or strikes without human casualties.
Kendall and others have said their goal is to have CCAs in operation by the end of the decade. That may be a stretch considering the lack of real-world testing, doctrinal development or combat acumen with anything approaching a large autonomous force in U.S. military operations whether that force is CAAs, small drones or ground robots.
CCA cost will impact budgeting which, Air & Space Forces, pointed out is in limbo as DoD waits for Congress to pass a fiscal 2024 budget.
Whatever is ultimately appropriated for the production of a CCA fleet of 1,000 aircraft or more (the USAF fiscal 2024 budget request called for spending $5.8 billion on CCAs over the next five years, and $392 million in fiscal 2024) will have to be allocated for aerial platforms for which the Air Force has historically driven up cost and time to fielding again and again.
The contracts are a first step and if comments by Air Force acquisition chief, Andrew Hunter, are solid indication of the way forward, other firms will be added to the list of CCA suppliers. Hunter has affirmed that “on ramps” for firms not initially selected will be available in the future, offering some incentive to Kratos and others to keep their CCA concepts warm.
For now, there are five CCA builders. What we get from them and what impact it has should be clearer in a couple years.
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