Northrop Grumman announced the completion of the autonomous taxi tests of the YFQ-48A Talon Blue, the company’s pitch for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
Northrop Grumman announced in a post on social media on May 18, 2026, that it has completed the autonomous taxi tests of the YFQ-48A Talon Blue uncrewed aircraft. The YFQ-48 is the company’s pitch for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
Together with the announcement, Northrop Grumman has also released a short video showing the aircraft moving on the runway, followed by a pickup truck likely carrying safety observers. The company says that, following this milestone, the aircraft is now accelerating toward the first flight.
Autonomous taxi test complete.
YFQ-48A Talon Blue accelerates progress toward first flight in partnership with the @usairforce. pic.twitter.com/8N5czGkMun
— Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) May 18, 2026
No details have been provided about when and where the test was conducted. The aircraft has been undergoing ground testing at least for a month, according to a previous report by Flight Global, possibly at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where it was first unveiled.
YFQ-48A
Northrop Grumman first unveiled its new unmanned platform on Dec. 3, 2025, at the Mojave Air and Space Port, after developing it largely in secrecy. On Dec. 22, the U.S. Air Force has announced that it has assigned the Mission Design Series (MDS) YFQ-48A to the aircraft, which was initially known only as Project Talon.
— TaskForce23 (@Task_Force23) May 18, 2026
As previously explained, this MDS defines the semi-autonomous aircraft as an unmanned fighter. In fact, YFQ means prototypes (as indicated by the ‘Y’ status prefix) of UAVs (as denoted by the ‘Q’ vehicle type code) with the intended role as a fighter (indicated by the ‘F’ basic mission).
The service said at the time that the designation “highlights the ongoing partnership between the Air Force and Northrop Grumman and acknowledges the continued progress of the YFQ-48A as a strong contender in the CCA program.” The Air Force is currently preparing to select designs for the Increment 2 of the program, with the YFQ-48A being one of the possible contenders.
— TaskForce23 (@Task_Force23) April 24, 2026
The YFQ-48A joined the two other CCAs, the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, which received the same unmanned fighter prototype designation in March 2025. These two aircraft, currently in flight testing, are part of the CCA’s program Increment 1.
Northrop Grumman initially defined the YFQ-48A as a new autonomous aircraft demonstrator built to validate faster and more affordable manufacturing methods for large uncrewed platforms. The company also described the program as a response to lessons learned from its unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 1.
Talon aimed to find the right balance between capability and cost, with Tom Jones, president of Northrop’s aeronautics systems division, saying the result was a design that is both cheaper and more capable. The aircraft features a shovel-shaped nose, long slender fuselage, low aspect ratio lambda wing planform, top mounted engine air inlet and exhaust, and canted twin tails.
The design appears optimized for high performance and agility, with low-observable characteristics also visible. Regarding the powerplant, Northrop Grumman confirmed only that Talon uses a single turbofan engine, but declined to identify the manufacturer or thrust class.
In April 2026, the company announced that Pratt & Whitney would provide the engine, specifically the PW500. The engine-maker undertook an extensive engine test program to expand the commercial limits of its PW500 engine family for Talon Blue, testing simulated flight and operational conditions unique to CCA missions.
The engine is supplied air by a trapezoidal dorsal inlet mounted above the aft fuselage, while the exhaust is positioned between the canted tail surfaces. The nose section features test instrumentation typical of early flight-test articles, including three air data probes extending forward of the radome.
The company did not comment on whether the demonstrator is intended to carry stores internally. However, a large trapezoidal panel on the underside of the fuselage could possibly indicate space for an internal bay.
