The US Air Force said giving names to the FQ-42 and FQ-44 was a “natural next step” in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

The now-in-development unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that will serve as the “loyal wingmen” for the United States Air Force’s fifth- and sixth-generation manned fighters have received official names.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) platform received the designation FQ-42 Vengeance, and Anduril Industries’ UAS was given the designation FQ-44 Fury.

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink announced the names on Monday in his keynote address at the Air & Space Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference. The Air Force later confirmed the names in a post on X, saying that revealing the names “was a natural next step” for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

“The Air Force intends to purchase about 1,000 combat-ready, semi-autonomous systems that will extend reach, awareness, and survivability of American airpower in contested environments. Meink confirmed that the service would have 500 of the aircraft by 2032,” the Air Force wrote on X.

The Air Force awarded Anduril and GA-ASI production contracts in June. Both drones underwent ground and initial flight testing last year, and each is now advancing to the initial production phase under the CCA’s Increment 1.

How the YFQ-42 and YFQ-44 Names Changed

Until this week, the aerial drones were known as the YFQ-42 and YFQ-44.

The FQ-42 is a member of GA-ASI’s “Gambit” family of unmanned combat aerial vehicles. During flight testing, it was named “Dark Merlin”—not after a mythical wizard—but after a type of falcon.

The FQ-44 was originally designed, developed, and named “Fury” by Blue Force Technologies. Anduril Industries opted to keep the drone’s name when it acquired Blue Force Technologies in 2023.

How Drone Designations Go from Y to F

“Y” stands for “prototype” under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, and was meant to identify an initial, production-representative aircraft built in only limited numbers. Aircraft with a “Y” in the designation further means the aircraft is being used in testing and evaluation.

With manned aircraft, the US Air Force typically drops the “Y” prefix once the aircraft enters regular production, as was the case with the YF-22, which went on to become the F-22 Raptor.

How Original Are the Names for the FQ-42 and FQ-44?

The United States Air Force has traditionally favored fierce animals, birds of prey, or even mythological creatures, so the “Dark Merlin” moniker for the FQ-42 could have been a good fit. The Pentagon has increasingly opted for names that seem more in line with its “warrior ethos”. Subtlety isn’t in the current wheelhouse, to say the least.

However, neither “Vengeance” nor “Fury” is actually an original choice; both have been used with past aircraft.

The A-31, an American-made single-engine dive bomber that was built for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Royal Indian Air Force for service in the Pacific Theater, was dubbed “Vengeance”.

Several aircraft, notably the FJ-1, the United States Navy’s first operational jet fighter, were dubbed “Fury”. The name was used with the subsequent swept-wing variants—the FJ-2, FJ-3 and FJ-4—which were adapted from the F-86 Sabre for carrier operations. In addition, British aviation firm Hawker developed its Fury, an agile biplane interceptor, in 1931, and later used the name Sea Fury for its World War II-era piston-engine fighter.

But what’s in a name?

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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