The demonstration included taxing, takeoff, airborne maneuvers, and landing, validating the aircraft’s baseline flight capabilities under autonomous control.
Northrop Grumman has achieved the first fully autonomous flight of its YFQ-48A Talon Blue unmanned aerial system (UAS) at Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
The demonstration included taxing, takeoff, airborne maneuvers, and landing, validating the aircraft’s baseline flight capabilities under autonomous control.
The test comes after Northrop returned to the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which seeks to develop cost-effective UAS capable of operating alongside manned fighters and extending their combat reach.
CCA aircraft, often described as “loyal wingman” drones, are planned for deployment with F-15, F-35, and future F-47 fighters, as well as larger aircraft such as the KC-46 tankers.
Northrop is competing against other major CCA developers, including General Atomics and Anduril Industries.
Washington plans to field at least 500 CCAs by 2032 as competition intensifies across the defense sector.
Self-Funded UAS
Northrop is developing Talon Blue internally for CCA Increment 2, drawing on more than 500,000 hours of autonomous flight and over 70 years of expertise in the field.
The modular aircraft uses simplified manufacturing and lightweight materials intended to reduce costs and accelerate production without sacrificing performance.
Other features include a high-mounted engine intake, wide landing gear, and an internal weapons bay.
Talon Blue is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545 variant turbofan engine, while Northrop has not disclosed its flight performance specifications.
Aligning with the CCA program, the company is also testing its in-house Prism mission autonomy software on the Talon IQ testbed, built on the Scaled Composites Model 437 airframe used for the YFQ-48A’s architecture.
“Our customers made it clear they need autonomous systems that can be fielded faster and more affordably without sacrificing mission effectiveness,” said Craig Woolston, vice president and general manager for research and advanced design at Northrop Grumman.
“We listened. Talon Blue’s first flight is one step toward a new generation of autonomous capabilities. Every flight and lesson strengthens our broader autonomy work and sharpens what comes next.”
Source: Drone Front
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