General Atomics Aeronautical Solutions' entrant for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program has re-entered flight testing -- with some new software enhancements -- following an April 6 crash, the company announced today.

While the program’s flight-testing procedures on the YFQ-42A were paused in the immediate aftermath of the incident, other activities like ground testing and technology maturation and risk reduction experiments, continued without interruption, GA-ASI said.

This mishap, which occurred during takeoff, caused no injuries but completely destroyed the airframe.

“A thorough safety review isolated the cause to an autopilot miscalculation for the weight and center of gravity of the aircraft, prompting a software remediation,” GA-ASI said in its press release. “The Air Force and GA-ASI conducted a joint review following the mishap. Following a stringent evaluation, technical authorities endorsed the software changes and YFQ-42A has returned to the air.”

While GA-ASI’s loyal drone wingman prototype was grounded, Anduril Industries YFQ-44A began testing with the Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit. There, the service will begin teaming the CCA prototypes with manned aircraft like the F-22 Raptor to determine how exactly it wants to integrate the autonomous fighters into the existing force structure.

The first CCAs are expected to be fielded by the end of the decade, with a production decision projected by the end of 2026.

“It’s been said that you learn more from your setbacks than your successes. We are applying what we’ve learned to our growing fleet of CCAs, as we continue building the most dependable and cost-efficient unmanned fighters in the world,” GA-ASI president David Alexander said in a statement.

It is unclear when the YFQ-42A will begin its testing curriculum with the EOU.