Northrop logs first flight for self-funded drone wingman

WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman’s internally developed drone wingman demonstrator has notched its first flight, according to a company press release.

The firm’s Talon Blue drone performed fully autonomous “taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers and landing” during an undated test event, according to the release published Oct. 3. The flight took place over the Mojave Desert in California.

“Talon Blue’s first flight is one step toward a new generation of autonomous capabilities,” Craig Woolston, vice president and general manager of research and advanced design at Northrop, said in the release. “Every flight and lesson strengthens our broader autonomy work and sharpens what comes next.” 

Northrop has internally funded the drone to date, after the company lost out on previous Air Force contracts for Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone wingmen. Both Anduril and General Atomics were selected to build drones for the first round of the Air Force’s CCA program in June. Officials separately picked Anduril, Shield AI and RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace to proceed under a parallel autonomy software competition. 

Still, the government has expressed interest in the Talon Blue platform, and the Air Force has even designated the drone the YFQ-48A. Northrop emphasizes the drone’s modular design and says its weapons bay can support a variety of missions. 

Northrop is also investing in the software side through the development of an autonomy suite dubbed Prism. The company has been testing the software on the Model 437 drone manufactured by its subsidiary Scaled Composites. 

A company spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked to clarify whether Northrop flew the Talon Blue with its Prism software. 

A second round, or “increment,” of CCA drones is currently under development. Other companies such as Lockheed Martin have unveiled their own drone wingman designs, but have largely shied away from tying their offerings to specific programs.