The Affordable Mass the Air Force Is Looking For Is Hiding in Plain Sight

The U.S. Air Force is seeking "affordable mass" through autonomous combat aircraft to counter the numerical and range advantages of China's air force, particularly in a potential conflict over Taiwan. The current Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program's first increment is deemed too complex, expensive, and technologically immature to be effective within the decade. These initial CCA candidates face significant barriers in autonomy, cost, and integration, making it unlikely they can provide the needed capacity in time. The author proposes that the Air Force should instead adopt a variant of DARPA's LongShot program, which develops air-launched vehicles that carry missiles, as a more credible and faster solution.