Northrop Grumman says its YFQ-48A Talon Blue completed a first fully autonomous flight in Mojave, California, including taxiing, takeoff, airborne maneuvers and landing. The company announced the milestone on October 3, describing modular design and manufacturing changes intended to reduce parts, weight and production costs.
The aircraft combines a high-mounted intake, wide landing-gear stance and an internal weapons bay for different mission requirements. Project Talon also includes Talon IQ, an autonomy testbed based on the Scaled Composites Model 437 and powered by Prism mission-autonomy software. The announcement describes developmental progress; it does not establish that Talon Blue has entered operational military service.
