Northrop Grumman’s new Project Talon drone aims to change how U.S. fighters go to war.

Northrop Grumman has pulled the wraps off Project Talon, a stealthy autonomous aircraft built with Scaled Composites to fly alongside crewed fighters as a Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Designed and built in under two years and matured through the Beacon autonomy ecosystem, Talon signals a faster, lower-cost path to fielding drone wingmen in heavily defended airspace.

Northrop Grumman has introduced Project Talon as its new autonomous wingman offering, positioning the aircraft as a low-observable, rapidly built teammate for U.S. and allied fighters. Unveiled at Mojave Air and Space Port and developed with subsidiary Scaled Composites, the uncrewed jet is pitched as a Collaborative Combat Aircraft that balances capability with aggressive cost and schedule targets, after the company missed out on the first round of the U.S. Air Force CCA awards. Executives say Talon went from project launch to weight on wheels in roughly 15 months and is expected to fly within about nine months, keeping development inside a two-year window and underscoring Pentagon demands for faster prototyping and production.
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The platform seems designed to carry a range of long-range ISR sensors, including stabilised electro-optical payloads able to deliver high-resolution multispectral imagery for early detection, reconnaissance, or target designation (Picture source: Northrop Grumman)

The first technical elements released by the manufacturer suggest an airframe optimised for low radar signature and extended endurance. The use of advanced composites, combined with shaping intended to reduce radar cross-section in the S and X bands, appears focused on improving survivability during ingress or cover profiles. The likely use of a compact turbojet engine, with a high thrust to fuel consumption ratio, would offer a compromise between transit speed and range. Several details remain to be confirmed, as the company has not yet provided complete data on the propulsion system or the exact configuration of the air intakes.

The platform seems designed to carry a range of long-range ISR sensors, including stabilised electro-optical payloads able to deliver high-resolution multispectral imagery for early detection, reconnaissance, or target designation. The avionics architecture is said to rely on an open approach, easing the integration of processing modules or light electronic warfare suites intended for jamming, interception, or mapping of the electromagnetic environment. These features would enable Talon to expand the fighters’ field of view while multiplying the options for deep collection.

The communication system is expected to rely on secure data links close to Western tactical standards, with increased resistance to jamming and more efficient bandwidth management. This digital backbone is intended to allow the system to maintain a continuous flow of information with crewed aircraft, exchange situational parameters or mission priorities, and receive reversion to manual control orders at any time. The exact references for protocols, frequency bands, and cryptographic protections still need to be specified, but the indications provided by the manufacturer point to broad compatibility with fifth-generation air command architectures.

Northrop Grumman then underlines the structuring role of Beacon, the test ecosystem unveiled earlier in the year and used to validate mission software in real-world environments. The approach combines flight testing, embedded simulations, and rapid checking of autonomous modules, which shortens the latency between iterations and improves technical maturation. The engineers present this method as a means to accelerate industrial decision-making and immediately capture feedback from complex manoeuvres, particularly in scenarios involving saturation or cooperation within mixed formations.

The program also draws on user feedback from different operational communities, a process intended to keep the system aligned with needs that are evolving rapidly. The integration of upgrade blocks, whether for sensors, communications, or electronic warfare capabilities, allows Talon to be adapted without major disruption to production. The consistency between the digital architecture, onboard sensors, and optional modules indicates that the development is meant to follow doctrinal changes rather than freeze a single standard.

The decision to fund Talon from company resources reflects a desire to reinforce industrial responsiveness in the face of growing Chinese capabilities and increasingly restrictive anti-access environments. International partners are following this dynamic with interest, as it offers an avenue for rapid adaptation for air forces looking to modernise their fleets without relying solely on large, long-term programmes. The emergence of Talon thus contributes to a rebalancing in the contest for control of the air domain, where complementarity between humans and machines is becoming a central element of freedom of action and strategic credibility.