The Netherlands has become the first European nation to formally join the United States Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
“We think that this is a unique point in time, and it reinforces the partnership we have with the U.S. And I think it also makes the world a lot safer if in the near future we can … operate CCA type of aircraft in the European theater,” Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said after signing a letter of intent in October 2025 at the Netherlands’ embassy in Washington, D.C., according to the military news website Defense One.
The CCA program seeks to field more affordable, AI-enabled uncrewed aircraft — sometimes called “loyal wingman” drones — that it envisions operating alongside, and under the command of, pilots flying in fighters such as the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II and other advanced warplanes, according to an April 2024 DefenseScoop report. The Royal Netherlands Air Force flies the F-35.
The U.S. companies Anduril and General Atomics are developing the semi-autonomous aircraft for the first phase of the CCA program, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The Netherlands also signed a separate agreement with General Atomics to boost the country’s defenses and drone tech, according to Defense One. The U.S. Air Force has said the next CCA phase is the primary opportunity for foreign buyers, according to Breaking Defense.
“We are not just prioritizing it, we are aggressively accelerating the fielding of its first increment, with plans in place to initiate the second [phase] in early [fiscal year 26],” U.S. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the service’s new chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in October 2025 during his confirmation hearing. Wilsbach told the SASC that the CCA program is performing well. Anduril’s aircraft, which has been designated YFQ-44A, flew at end of October 2025. General Atomic’s CCA, the YFQ-42A, flew in August 2025.
General Atomics also recently announced the latest version in its Gambit series of drones, the Gambit 6, which expands the CCA mission to air-to-ground operations. “Gambit 6 seems geared to be particularly well-suited to the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission sets, or SEAD/DEAD, to aid in clearing the way for follow-on operations,” military news website The War Zone reported in November 2025. Those follow-on scenarios could include helping to protect and pave the way for strategic bombers in contested territory.
The U.S.-Dutch collaboration “builds on decades of … defense cooperation and reflects a shared commitment to fielding next-generation airpower,” the U.S. Air Force told Breaking Defense in a statement. Under the program, both nations will “explore opportunities to jointly develop, test and evaluate CCA technologies, mission systems and employment concepts that strengthen interoperability across Allied Air Forces,” the statement said.
Partnering with General Atomics and other U.S. defense companies creates an opportunity to bolster defense industries for both the U.S. and Europe, Dutch ambassador to the U.S. Birgitta Tazelaar said, according to Defense One. Spending more on defense “means that we’re going to build up a European defense industry, but it also means that we’re going to work very well together with our American partners in doing so,” she said.
Tuinman also underscored the benefits for U.S. defense companies in the European market.
“I also want to express that the Netherlands is like the jumping pad for the United States to get into Europe,” he said, according to Breaking Defense.