- On December 3, 2025 Northrop — via its subsidiary Scaled Composites — publicly revealed Project Talon, a new autonomous combat drone designed to accompany crewed aircraft like F-35s and F-22s.
- Talon is engineered to be lighter (≈ 1,000 lbs less) and built with ~50% fewer parts vs prior designs — enabling ~30% faster manufacturing.
- The first prototype reached “weight-on-wheels” ~15 months after project start; the first flight is expected within the next nine months.
- While not yet formally part of the next phase of the Air Force’s broader CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) program, Talon may still attract interest from multiple U.S. services and international buyers.
Why it matters: Talon’s rapid development — and emphasis on affordability and mass producibility — signals a push to scale autonomous “wingman” drones quickly. If adopted, this could significantly expand the Air Force’s ability to deploy uncrewed support assets alongside manned platforms.
