It looks like the U.S. Air Force is ready to pull the trigger on fielding the world’s first operational AI-piloted drone fighters as soon as next year, according to the Pentagon’s recent budget request. In 2027, the U.S. Air Force is now looking to buy a billion dollars’ worth of new Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA drones, while investing roughly another $2 billion into developing new drone capabilities and the next tranche of even more capable drone fighters to roll into production in the future. Here’s a breakdown on all the drones in the running for a piece of that pie — and a few more that are being funded through other lines of accounting.
