FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Northrop Grumman is advancing its Project Talon initiative, a connected autonomous combat ecosystem that brings together autonomy software development, flight testing and modular uncrewed aircraft.
The company’s approach is focused on reducing the time required to move new autonomous capabilities from development and laboratory testing to flight evaluation and, ultimately, operational applications. Northrop Grumman describes Project Talon as part of its broader effort to develop open-architecture autonomous systems that can be adapted as mission requirements change.
Project Talon includes two principal elements: Talon IQ, an autonomous flight-test environment, and the YFQ-48A Talon Blue, an autonomous wingman aircraft intended to operate with crewed aircraft.
Project Talon links software testing with operational aircraft
The central idea behind Project Talon is to separate the development and testing of autonomy software from the development of the final combat aircraft.
Talon IQ provides a flight environment where autonomy capabilities can be integrated and evaluated using an existing aircraft platform. Software can then be refined before being transferred to other aircraft.
Northrop Grumman has described its autonomy approach as based on open architecture and interoperability. The company says this allows different technologies and software providers to work with its autonomous systems rather than limiting development to a single software solution.
The approach has already been demonstrated through Talon IQ flights. In March 2026, Northrop Grumman and Shield AI tested Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software on the Talon IQ aircraft. During the flight, Hivemind controlled mission-level behaviors before control was transferred back to Northrop Grumman's Prism autonomy system. The demonstration was intended to show the ability to integrate third-party autonomy software into the open-architecture test environment.
YFQ-48A Talon Blue
The second major element of Project Talon is the YFQ-48A Talon Blue.
Northrop Grumman developed the aircraft after its original Collaborative Combat Aircraft proposal did not advance to the final selection in the Air Force's first CCA competition. The U.S. Air Force selected General Atomics' YFQ-42A and Anduril's YFQ-44A for the first increment of the program. Northrop Grumman subsequently redesigned its concept with Scaled Composites, its subsidiary, focusing on a simpler airframe and faster manufacturing.
The Air Force formally assigned the YFQ-48A designation to Northrop Grumman's Project Talon aircraft in December 2025. At the time, the company said the new aircraft was significantly different from its earlier CCA design.
According to figures disclosed by Northrop Grumman, the YFQ-48A has approximately 50 percent fewer parts, weighs about 1,000 pounds less than the company's previous CCA proposal and can be manufactured approximately 30 percent faster. The aircraft makes extensive use of composite structures, while some components are based on existing aerospace designs.
The company has also been conducting ground testing of the aircraft. The YFQ-48A completed an engine start earlier in 2026 and conducted its first taxi test in May.
Northrop Grumman describes the Talon Blue as a modular, cost-effective and rapidly deployable autonomous wingman, with the design intended to support different mission configurations.
Talon IQ is based on Model 437
Talon IQ uses the Scaled Composites Model 437 as its flight-test platform. The Model 437 is a 41-foot-long aircraft with a 41-foot wingspan and a gross takeoff weight of approximately 10,000 pounds.
The aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PW535 turbofan producing approximately 3,400 pounds of thrust. Its stated design figures include a range of about 3,000 nautical miles, an endurance of up to six hours and a payload capacity of approximately 2,000 pounds.
The Model 437 was developed as a low-cost, multi-mission aircraft and has an internal weapons bay sized for two AIM-120 air-to-air missiles. Its design also provides space for other mission payloads.
The aircraft first flew in August 2024 as a technology demonstrator developed by Scaled Composites. Its development was also used to demonstrate Northrop Grumman's digital design and manufacturing processes.
Project Talon develops alongside the CCA program
Project Talon is being developed as the U.S. Air Force continues its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort.
CCA is intended to provide uncrewed aircraft that can operate alongside crewed platforms. The first increment is currently moving forward with the General Atomics YFQ-42A and Anduril YFQ-44A.
The CCA program has also progressed into weapons and operational testing. In July 2026, the Air Force conducted a live-fire test in which a YFQ-44A fired an AIM-120 missile at a digital target over the Mojave Desert. The Air Force said the test followed earlier inert weapons carriage and data-link evaluations.
The Air Force has emphasized that human oversight remains part of the CCA concept. During the July test, the service stated that weapon-release decisions remain under human control, even as the aircraft performs portions of the weapon-employment sequence autonomously.
The service is also testing CCA aircraft in more operationally representative environments. In July, the YFQ-44A participated in an exercise at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, where the Air Force examined operations, logistics, maintenance and integration with crewed aircraft.
Northrop Grumman's focus on software and manufacturing
Northrop Grumman's Project Talon approach combines two areas that are becoming increasingly important in autonomous aircraft development: software integration and aircraft production.
Talon IQ is intended to provide a reusable environment for testing autonomy technologies, while Talon Blue is designed around reduced part counts, modular construction and faster manufacturing.
The company says its broader autonomy portfolio uses open architectures and human-overseen autonomy, with the aim of allowing autonomous systems to incorporate new technologies without requiring an entirely new aircraft for every capability change.
Northrop Grumman is therefore continuing to develop the YFQ-48A Talon Blue even though it was not selected for the Air Force's initial CCA Increment 1 production competition. The aircraft has received an official Air Force designation and continues through development and ground testing, while Talon IQ provides a separate platform for testing autonomy software and related technologies.
The combination of the two platforms forms the main structure of Project Talon: Talon IQ provides the flight-test environment for autonomy development, while YFQ-48A Talon Blue is the modular autonomous aircraft being developed for future CCA requirements.
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