Northrop reveals lightweight combat drone to flank US Air Force jets

Northrop Grumman has introduced Project Talon, a new lightweight autonomous combat drone designed to support US Air Force jets by providing affordable, high-performance capabilities. Unveiled on December 3 at Northrop’s Scaled Composites facility in Mojave, California, Project Talon aims to address shortcomings in Northrop’s earlier Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) proposal, which performed well but was too costly. The drone is about 1,000 pounds lighter than the previous design, features a fully composite structure, and has 50% fewer parts, enabling a 30% reduction in production time. Northrop emphasizes that the key innovation lies not just in the aircraft itself but in a streamlined development process that integrates design and manufacturing teams to accelerate production and reduce costs. Project Talon is expected to fly for the first time by fall 2026 and surpasses Northrop’s internal affordability and performance targets, although detailed specifications remain undisclosed. The drone fits into the Air Force’s vision of