In October 2026, the U.S. Air Force declared a notable achievement: For the inaugural instance within a simulated combat setting, a pilot of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet transmitted high-level tactical directives to a pre-production YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) through a tactical data link, effectively guiding it through intricate maneuvers and simulated aerial combat scenarios. Throughout the demonstration, the drone's onboard autonomous software instantaneously processed and implemented the pilot's commands, representing a pivotal advancement in the U.S. Air Force's CCA initiative towards the realization of a 'manned aircraft commanding unmanned wingmen' operational framework. As per the U.S. Air Force's strategic roadmap, a minimum of 500 Phase I CCAs are slated for deployment by 2032, with the inaugural batch projected to commence operational service by the close of this decade. It is important to note that this particular test focused on the control of a solitary drone; critical hurdles such as the coordination of multi-drone formations, the resilience of communication links against jamming, and the establishment of trust mechanisms between humans and machines are yet to be fully resolved.