The United States Air Force remains committed to a future fleet of unmanned aerial systems that will serve as so-called “loyal wingmen” to support its fifth- and sixth-generation manned fighters. Over the weekend, another one of the drones took to the skies for the first time.
Northrop Grumman announced that its YFQ-48A Talon Blue successfully completed its “first fully autonomous flight,” which saw the prospective Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) taxi, take off, conduct in-flight maneuvers, and then land. The drone, which was developed under the internal codenames “Project Lotus” and later “Project Talon,” received the official YGQ-48A designation in December 2025, when it was selected as a competitor for future increments of the US Air Force’s CCA program.
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