Northrop Grumman’s Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft Has Flown

Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue completed its first fully autonomous flight at Mojave, California, the company announced on October 3, 2026. The aircraft autonomously performed taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers and landing, advancing the internally funded Project Talon portfolio of uncrewed combat aircraft. Its design incorporates a high air intake, wide landing-gear stance and internal weapons bay, while modular construction and manufacturing changes are intended to reduce weight, component count and production cost. Built by Northrop subsidiary Scaled Composites, the demonstrator is intended to support future US and allied autonomous airpower missions through flexible operational concepts.