American manufacturers developing the first generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft see big potential in Europe.

A range of large and small firms, including General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Anduril, Boeing and Kratos, are pursuing European sales opportunities for their autonomous combat platforms (ACPs), as contractors for the US Air Force (USAF) prepare to fly two prototype designs for the first time in the coming weeks.

Ahead of that milestone, the two firms competing for the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme tell FlightGlobal that international customers are expressing significant interest in their aircraft.

“I would characterise it as a high level of interest,” says Andrew Van Timmeren, director of air dominance systems at Anduril.

The California start-up plans to offer its Fury ACP, which serves as the basis for the USAF’s YFQ-44A prototype, to European customers with customisable options.

Van Timmeren says that could happen via a direct commercial sale of base model Fury, a deal through the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales system, or a local production agreement through Anduril’s new partnership with German manufacturer Rheinmetall.

“We are agnostic to the pathway by which CCA in Europe happens,” Van Timmeren says.

While such discussions remain in the early stages, the former Lockheed Martin F-22 pilot notes that Anduril is prepared to rapidly deliver uncrewed fighters to NATO members ready to ink a deal.

“We could make that happen in extremely fast times,” he notes.

Rival General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) reports similarly strong interest around its many uncrewed aircraft offerings, in particular the YFQ-42A built for the USAF.

“The first day of the Paris air show this year was the busiest day I’ve ever had at a defence show,” says C. Mark Brinkley, head of strategic communications for GA-ASI.

Both General Atomics and Anduril displayed full-scale models of their YFQ prototypes at Paris in June.

While GA-ASI is focused first on the USAF CCA requirement, Brinkley says the company will leverage its mature industrial capacity and more than two decades of manufacturing experience to quickly scale-up production as orders come in.

“We are tracking to full-scale production quickly,” Brinkley notes.

The company will similarly offer a European-built derivative of its YFQ-42A for continental customers interested in a greater degree of local control. That will be delivered via a collaboration between GA-ASI and German affiliate General Atomics Aerotec Systems GmbH.

Brinkley says the company will be taking the YFQ-42A to a number of international trade shows throughout the coming months to indulge the curiosity of prospective global customers.

“There’s a lot of international interest,” he notes. “[We’re] really trying to shop it around so that people can come see it for themselves, see it up close.”

The use of partner manufacturers in Europe to offer local production options for ACPs is emerging as a common strategy among the American firms hoping to land the continent’s first sales deal for the new class of aircraft.

In addition to the agreements announced by General Atomics and Anduril, uncrewed aircraft manufacturer Kratos is partnering with European airframer Airbus Defence & Space to offer the company’s XQ-58 Valkyrie to the German air force.

The pair say they will have a combat-ready vehicle for Berlin by 2029, complete with a “sovereign multi-platform mission system” built by Airbus.

Kratos has been flying its XQ-58A Valkyrie since 2019 in a test and technology development capacity for both the USAF and US Marine Corps, with the latter mulling an operational fielding of the autonomous jet. Recent trials in the USA saw multiple XQ-58s integrate with the Lockheed Martin F-16C and Boeing F-15E.

US heavyweight Boeing is also looking for a local partner to bring the MQ-28 Ghost Bat ACP to Europe. Developed jointly with the Royal Australian Air Force, the MQ-28 has logged more than 105 sorties and is now making regular fights in Australia.

By contrast, European manufacturers have relatively little to show off in the realm of autonomous fighters at the moment.

The UK’s BAE Systems hopes to fly a demonstrator aircraft two years from now as a potential complement to the sixth-generation Tempest fighter, a joint development effort between the UK, Italy and Japan. The airframer has extensive experience in the development and testing of advanced unmanned systems, including types such as Herti, Mantis and Taranis, and via activities such as the UK’s Astraea airspace integration effort.

France’s Dassault Aviation first flew an early ACP demonstrator called Neuron more than a decade ago, but failed to capitalise on that early lead.

The company unveiled a successor to the Neuron in model form at the 2025 Paris air show, but the capability is not expected to be ready until the 2030s.

Only Turkish firms Turkish Aerospace and Baykar have developmental ACPs currently flying, with interest largely confined to their domestic market for now.

While there is strong interest globally in pilotless fighters, it remains to be seen if American manufacturers will see success outside their domestic market.

Although the US firms appear to have pole position in the race to deliver “affordable mass” in the form of uncrewed combat jets to frontline operators, obstacles remain, particularly in Europe.

The past six month have seen growing scepticism in European capitals about the reliability of the USA as an ally, following intimations from US President Donald Trump that Washington might not support its NATO members who are deemed to be spending insufficient sums on their own defence.

The situation has been further inflamed by comments from the president regarding an interest in absorbing territory belonging to Canada and Greenland – both treaty allies.

Defence procurement has become a target of that consternation, with leaders in Canada and Portugal publicly suggesting they will reconsider procurement of the Lockheed F-35 stealth fighter.

Unsubstantiated rumours of a so-called “kill switch” that would allow Washington to disable allies’ jets ran rampant earlier this year, before being denied by the Pentagon, Lockheed and several US allies in Europe, including Belgium and Switzerland.

However, some European leaders have seized on the international hesitation to plug their country’s products; most notably French President Emmanuel Macron.

The chief resident of Elysee Palace has openly promoted the Dassault Rafale fighter as a European alternative to the F-35.

“Those who buy the F-35, should be offered the Rafale,” Macron told Le Parisien earlier this year. “That’s the way to increase the rate of production.”

The French president even posted a photo of the Dassault fighter on his official Instagram page during the Paris air show with the caption “European friends, you have a call.”

Thus far the campaign does not appear to have significantly dented enthusiasm for the F-35, or other American defence products.

The UK and Belgium have declared their intent to respectively continue and expand their F-35 acquisition targets, while interest in US-made long-range precision munitions and air defences remains strong.

Regardless, uncrewed fighter manufacturers clearly see the option of local production and sustainment as an important element in securing European customers.

Amid sky-high global tensions with Russia along NATO’s eastern flank and China’s military build-up in the Pacific, the race is now afoot to deliver Europe’s first uncrewed fighter aircraft for frontline service.

Domestic incumbents appear to be far behind in their home territory, with American rivals poised to have operational aircraft ready years before any indigenous alternative.

The result could be a cycle of US dominance in the early generations of ACP production, similar to the position currently enjoyed by American producers of fifth-generation fighters.