The Northrop Grumman YFQ-48A Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) conducted its first fully autonomous flight on October 3. The system independently performed taxiing, takeoff, in-flight maneuvering, and landing.

The Talon Blue was developed by Northrop Grumman under its internal Project Talon program. The company is focusing on a modular design and new manufacturing technologies intended to reduce the number of components, lower the aircraft’s weight and cost, and accelerate production.

The YFQ-48A is designed to operate alongside fifth- and fifth-generation-plus fighters, including the F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor, as well as future aircraft being developed under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.

Its competitors include Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, Lockheed Martin’s Vectis, and Kratos’ FQ-58 Valkyrie.