YFQ-48A Talon Blue conducts maiden flight

Company-funded type was originally pitched for US Air Force’s Increment 1 CCA initiative.
Northrop Grumman has conducted the maiden flight of its YFQ-48A Talon Blue collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) prototype.

The sortie of the uncrewed aircraft (N444LX) took place from Mojave Air and Space Port in California, says the company.

In a 3 October statement, Northrop says that the flight was “fully autonomous” and included taxiing, taking off, in-flight maneuvers, and landing.

It did not provide details of the flight’s duration, or other parameters such as altitude and speed. The flight comes nearly five months after Northrop announced that the self-funded type was conducting taxi tests at Mojave.

“Our customers made it clear they need autonomous systems that can be fielded faster and more affordably without sacrificing mission effectiveness,” says Craig Woolson, general manager of research and advanced design at the company.

“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.”

The YFQ-48A is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PW500 turbofan.

Although Talon Blue was eliminated in the US Air Force’s Increment 1 CCA effort, which went to the Anduril FQ-44A and General Atomics FQ-42A, it could be pitched for future CCA requirements.

Despite the Increment 1 outcome, the Northrop design apparently showed enough promise that the USAF awarded Talon Blue the YFQ-48A designation.

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