Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue has taken to the air for the first time, becoming one of the latest autonomous aircraft to fly in support of the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) ambitions.
스토리 작성자 Aaron Spray
aerospaceglobalnews.com
It joins a growing field of autonomous combat aircraft contenders, including the Anduril FQ-44, General Atomics’ FQ-42, and Boeing Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat.
YFQ-48A Talon Blue completes first autonomous flight
Over the weekend, Northrop Grumman announced that its self-funded YFQ-48A Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft completed its first flight at Mojave, California.
The test flight included taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers, and landing. Few other details were given by Northrop.
Following the flight, Craig Woolston, the vice president and general manager of research and advanced design at Northrop Grumman, said, “Our customers made it clear they need autonomous systems that can be fielded faster and more affordably without sacrificing mission effectiveness.”
He added, “We listened,” noting Talon Blue’s first flight is a step toward a new generation of autonomous capabilities.
The announcement came after Northrop Grumman lost the F/A-XX program to Boeing, making its YFQ-48 program even more important.
The YFQ-48A is powered by Talon IQ (formerly Beacon), Northrop Grumann’s Prism Mission Autonomous software. These software ‘brains’ are some of the most important elements of building advanced CCAs.
Currently, the Anduril FQ-44’s ‘brain’ is Shield AI’s Hivemind, while the General Atomics FQ-42 is powered by Collins Aerospace’s Sidekick.
Importantly, the Air Force awarded separate contracts for the aircraft themselves and the mission autonomy software. Anduril’s Lattice mission autonomy software was not selected for Increment 1. It is unclear if the Air Force would eventually select the Talon IQ.
What is Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue?
Northrop Grumman describes Talon Blue as combining a modular design and advanced manufacturing to lower cost and support faster production.
The autonomous aircraft is part of Northrop’s larger Project Talon Portfolio, which includes the optionally manned Scaled Composites Model 437 and Talon IQ.
Talon Blue has been designed to reduce part count and overall weight, allowing Northrop to lower the cost and enable faster production. Affordability and scalable production are key Air Force requirements.
It is also designed with a high air intake, a wide wheelbase, and an integrated weapons bay to “support a wide variety of mission needs for U.S. and allied partners.”
How Talon Blue fits into the US Air Force’s CCA program
Northrop, along with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, was not selected for the Air Force’s Increment 1 for its CCA program in 2024. Instead, the smaller companies Anduril and General Atomics were selected.
The legacy companies have since been redesigning their concepts and are competing for the more demanding and higher-end Increment 2.
It’s understood the US Air Force has identified a potential vendor pool of nine aerospace companies for Increment 2, and it plans for a down-select in 2027.
The Air Force has specifically declined to identify which companies make up these nine vendors. Potential contenders include Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Shield AI, Hermeus, and Kratos.
The flight gives Northrop fresh momentum as the race to shape the US Air Force’s future autonomous combat fleet gathers pace.
... SP의 메모
방문
WWAEN.org
#1 항공우주 분야(AAM, UAM, UAV 및 UAS) 진로 및 취업 네트워크
AAM, UAM, UAV, UAS 및 자율 항공우주 분야에서 전 세계적으로 취업하고 경력을 시작하십시오.
방문
AAMTrader.com
The world’s dedicated marketplace for electric and hybrid eVTOL, eSTOL, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), Urban Air Mobility (UAM), and RPA, UAV, aircraft, connecting buyers and sellers of aircraft, drones, parts, equipment, and services across the global advanced aviation industry.
방문
AAMELF.org
Advanced Air Medical Emergency Life Flights+ Medical AAM/UAM/UAV/UAS/RPA Logistic Platform
저자 소개
English 
Deutsch 
Italiano 
Français 
Svenska 
Nederlands 
Español 
Português do Brasil 
עִבְרִית 
العربية 
हिन्दी 
فارسی 
日本語 
한국어 
Bahasa Indonesia 
繁體中文 
简体中文 
Polski 
Русский 
Українська
더 많은 스토리
Zuri’s Hybrid-Electric Cargo VTOL Moves Toward First Flight in 2027
Delivery Drones Are Coming to Denver. But Who Regulates Them?
에어버스, ILA 베를린에서 유럽 최대 다목적 드론 포트폴리오 선보여
에어버스, H145 무인 버전 U145 선보여
미 육군 특수작전사령부 (USSOCOM) 첨단 무인항공시스템 (UAS) 기술 기회
파일럿 인스티튜트, 상업용 UAV 엑스포 2026에서 모든 참석자에게 드론 조종사 교육 제공
매터넷, BVLOS 규제 근접에 따른 드론 배송 확장 모색