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Industry · Collaborative combat aircraft

General Atomics adds Spirit Defense as FQ-42 fuselage design-build partner

Spirit Defense, a Boeing company, will support fuselage design and production as General Atomics seeks to scale manufacturing of its Air Force collaborative combat aircraft.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced on Oct. 23 a partnership with Spirit Defense to support airframe production of the FQ-42 Vengeance collaborative combat aircraft. Spirit Defense, a Boeing company, will serve as a fuselage design-build partner, supporting the program from design through production.1

Spirit Defense's role is fuselage design-build partner

FQ-42 Vengeance Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Spirit Defensefuselage design-build partnerStated scope

supporting the program from design through production

GA-ASIcontract from the Air Forceactual

In June GA-ASI won a contract from the Air Force to produce FQ-42

Source: GA-ASI, October 23, 2026

Sources
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The partnership follows an initial Air Force order for the FQ-42A, which GA-ASI announced June 17.2 GA-ASI says Spirit Defense offers the manufacturing capacity and industrial depth to scale production faster and reduce the risk of single points of failure.1

Also announced: GA-ASI says it is discussing its Gambit Series with interested international militaries. The family of uncrewed combat jets derives partly from its FQ-42 work.1

The partnership puts Spirit Defense's engineering and manufacturing capabilities behind a program already under an Air Force production contract.1–2 Faster production remains GA-ASI's stated benefit; the announcement provides no delivery schedule or work-share split for Spirit Defense.1

Sources (2)
  1. GA-ASI: GA-ASI Partnering With Spirit Defense For FQ-42 CCA Production (Oct. 23, 2026) www.ga-asi.com
  2. GA-ASI: U.S Air Force Awards GA-ASI Production Contract for FQ-42A CCA (June 17, 2026) www.ga-asi.com
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Industry · Uncrewed AEW

Saab and General Atomics flight test airborne early warning radar on MQ-9B

Saab says the flight validated detection, tracking and classification of airborne targets. The evaluation program began in May.

Saab and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) have flight tested Saab's LoyalEye airborne early warning (AEW) radar on the MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft system, Saab announced Oct. 28.1

Saab and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) have successfully flight tested an unmanned airborne early warning (AEW) capability

Oct. 28, 2026

Saab's LoyalEye airborne early warning radarMQ-9Bactual

flight tested an unmanned airborne early warning (AEW) capability

evaluation programmeMay 2026

The flight test is part of an evaluation programme that began with the system's first flight in May 2026

Saab release via PR Newswire, Oct. 28, 2026

Sources
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Saab says the test validated the integrated system's ability to detect, track and classify airborne targets from an unmanned platform. Saab says LoyalEye on MQ-9B can operate independently or alongside manned airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platforms.1

The flight is part of an evaluation program that began with the system's first flight in May 2026. The test took place at GA-ASI's Desert Horizon Flight Operations Facility in Southern California. Stakeholders watched the capability in real time during what Saab described as a representative operational scenario.1

GA-ASI President David R. Alexander described worldwide customer interest in AEW capability on MQ-9B as extremely high. The announcement names no customer, order or fielding schedule.1

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab's Surveillance business area, said LoyalEye is designed to complement existing AEW&C solutions with additional flexibility and persistence.1

Sources (1)
  1. Saab and GA-ASI successfully flight test LoyalEye AEW capability on MQ-9B, Saab release via PR Newswire, Oct. 28, 2026 www.prnewswire.com
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Budget · Combat aircraft

A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, is towed by members of the 34th Fighter Generation Squadron, both assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, May 24, 2025.
Archive photograph · A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, is towed by members of the 34th Fighter Generation Squadron, both assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, May 24, 2025. Tech. Sgt. Daniel Peterson / DVIDS Taken 2025-05-24. public-domain; reuse terms. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

Defense News: Air Force outlines need for 1,509 combat-coded fighters by 2035

Defense News reports Lt. Gen. David Tabor says the Air Force's fighter goal depends on congressional funding and timely deliveries from Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

· Updated

Defense News reports the Air Force says it needs 1,509 combat-coded fighters by 2035. These are jets assigned to combat units. The service sent its force structure report to Congress Oct. 16.1

Defense News: Air Force fighter request trails stated annual need

Fighter purchases: stated annual need versus fiscal 2027 request

Stated annual purchase need72 fighters
Fiscal 2027 request62 fighters

Reconciliation funding would pay for 14 of the requested F-35s.

Reported by Defense News. As of Oct. 21, 2026.

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The goal requires congressional funding and timely deliveries from Lockheed Martin and Boeing, Lt. Gen. David Tabor said, Defense News reports. Tabor is the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.1

Breaking Defense reports the force structure report itself cites delays tied to F-35 modernization setbacks and F-15EX deliveries postponed by production struggles.2

Breaking Defense reports the requirement reflects moderate risk and uses combat coded total aircraft inventory, including backup and attrition reserve jets. Congress's floor of 1,145 tactical aircraft uses a different measure, primary mission aircraft inventory.2

Defense News reports that Air Force officials have long said the service needs to buy 72 fighters a year. The Air Force's fiscal 2027 request seeks 62. The request counts on $2.34 billion through a reconciliation bill. That would pay for 14 F-35s. If the bill fails, Tabor said, the service could shift money from other programs or push the purchases to 2028.1

Tabor cautioned that the requirement is likely to change with world events, new requirements and new technology, Defense News reports. It excludes Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Tabor said those aircraft could reduce the fighter requirement in future reports but are not yet changing it.1

The Air Force is seeking multiyear contracts for the F-35 and F-15EX, with the request pending in Congress, Defense News reports. Tabor said those agreements would give industry more stability to expand production.1

Clarification, November 1, 2026: We updated a source reference after Breaking Defense revised the wording of its article. Breaking Defense still reports that the 1,509-fighter requirement reflects moderate risk, so the brief's reporting is unchanged.

Sources (2)
  1. Defense News: US Air Force outlines the fighter fleet it needs by 2035 www.defensenews.com
  2. Breaking Defense: Air Force needs 1,509 combat-ready jets by 2035, service tells Congress breakingdefense.com
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