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Technology · 18 July 2026

US Air Force drone successfully fires live missile in autonomous combat test

US Air Force drone successfully fires live missile in autonomous combat test

The US Air Force successfully tested an autonomous combat drone firing a live AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. Anduril Industries' YFQ-44A drone fired the weapon at a digital target in the Mojave Desert. Air Force officials stressed that human authorisation will still be required before any weapons are fired.

Reported by techradar.com · How we write briefs

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What is an AIM-120 AMRAAM? What is an autonomous drone? What is the defence industry? Who is Anduril Industries?

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