The U.S. Air Force announced Monday that it has designated YFQ-48A as the Mission Design Series for Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon, a semi-autonomous prototype aircraft. The designation formally identifies the aircraft within the service’s inventory framework and applies to Project Talon’s role as part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is intended to develop semi-autonomous aircraft designed to operate alongside manned fighter platforms. The Air Force has stated that the program focuses on affordability, scalability and the ability to adapt to changing operational requirements. Brig. Gen. Jason Voorheis, program executive officer for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft, said Northrop Grumman’s work on semi-autonomous systems is consistent with the service’s approach to encouraging competition and advancing new technologies.
According to the Air Force, the CCA acquisition strategy is structured around continuous competition, with multiple opportunities for industry participation across development and production phases. Col. Timothy Helfrich, director of the Agile Development Office, said Project Talon reflects Northrop Grumman’s efforts in areas such as manufacturing approaches and technology experimentation, as the service continues to evaluate solutions for future increments of the program.
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