Up to six designs could move ahead in Air Force’s next robot-wingman effort

DAYTON, Ohio—Up to six designs could be brought to the prototyping phase of the second round of the Air Force’s drone-wingman effort next year, a service official told reporters on Tuesday.Increment 2 of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft competition is well underway, Col. Timothy Helfridge, the fighter portfolio acquisition executive, told reporters at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference here. By roughly mid-2027, Helfridge expects, there could be “up to&r