It’s the latest example of the Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit pushing hard to get CCAs into exercises where they can simulate operational environments. A U.S. Air Force YFQ-42A Dark Merlin aircraft assigned to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Experimental Operations Unit descends in the air before landing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., July 22, 2026. Jake Jacobsen) Members of the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force observe a U.S. Air Force YFQ-44A Fury aircraft assigned to the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Experimental Operations Unit at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., July 21, 2026. Led by the Experimental Operations Unit, the exercise tested the rapid deployment, logistics and Operational readiness of the autonomous platforms. But the base itself is relatively isolated, making it well-suited to test how CCAs fit with the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment concept.