Bridging Crewed and Uncrewed: Building a Hybrid Air Force

Christoph Bergs

6 August 20266 Minute Watch

The UK has now joined a small number of nations that have stated and placed budgets behind a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) concept.

Following this announcement, and the unveiling of BAE Systems’ Brontonax – the UK's first CCA – at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow, RUSI research analyst Christoph Bergs explores the UK's development and integration of autonomous combat aircraft.

In this video commentary, Christoph explores the following questions:

- How national requirements may drive the role and design of collaborative combat aircraft.

- Why operational analysis could reshape current aspirations on CCAs.

- What the key challenges are for operational integration.