U.S. Air Force assigns YFQ-48A designation to Northrop's Talon in combat drone push
The U.S. Air Force has designated Northrop Grumman's Project Talon as YFQ-48A, adding a third named contender to its Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort.
The designation, disclosed by the service in late December, gives Talon a formal Mission Design Series identity as the Air Force broadens competition around autonomous aircraft built to operate with crewed fighters. The Air Force said the move reflects continued progress on the program and its partnership with Northrop Grumman. Officials said the company's approach supports the service's strategy of preserving competition, accelerating industry innovation, and moving advanced technology into service at speed and scale.
YFQ-48A is the third drone in the CCA portfolio to receive a designation. General Atomics' YFQ-42A and Anduril Industries' YFQ-44A are competing in CCA Increment 1. The YFQ-42A began flight testing in August. The YFQ-44A made its first flight on Oct. 31. The Air Force plans next year to choose between those two designs for Increment 1 while also starting development of Increment 2, a phase that could include Talon.
Northrop Grumman said in December that Talon could make its first flight next year. The company said it has used its Beacon autonomous testbed to speed development. Beacon, announced in June, is a modified Model 437 Vanguard aircraft built by Scaled Composites, the Northrop-owned Mojave, California company founded by Burt Rutan. Northrop has described Talon as an adaptive combat teammate designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. The company also said the project uses advanced modular manufacturing methods to shorten timelines and simplify production, with the aircraft designed, built and on track to fly in under 24 months.
The new designation signals that the Air Force is widening its options as it builds a future fleet of collaborative combat drones. It also raises the stakes for Increment 2, where speed of development, autonomy maturity and manufacturability are likely to matter as much as raw performance.