Northrop Grumman conducts first engine start for YFQ-48A Talon Blue

Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) has successfully completed its first engine start on 17 April 2026.

The advancement, achieved in collaboration with Pratt & Whitney and the US Air Force, paves the way for scheduled flight tests, Northrop Grumman said in a post on LinkedIn.

“Our progress is a sign of how quickly next-gen capability can move from development toward flight, and why speed increasingly matters in staying ahead of emerging threats,” the company stated.

Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX, supplied the propulsion system for the aircraft, integrating an engine from its PW500 family.

RTX confirmed on 17 April 2026 that the engine is prepared for upcoming test flights.

Pratt & Whitney collaborated with Northrop Grumman to define engine requirements and oversee integration into the aircraft. The former also carried out a comprehensive engine testing programme to extend the commercial capabilities of its PW500 engine family for use in Talon Blue.

The PW500 engine family comprises three series and eight models that produce between 2,900 and 4,500 pounds of thrust. The engines are commonly selected for light to mid-size business jet platforms.

Pratt & Whitney military development programmes vice president Peter Sommerkorn said: “Leveraging commercial technology allowed us to innovate faster, while balancing cost and critical performance enhancements for the CCA mission.

“The Pratt & Whitney team took a production engine, with more than 24.5 million flight hours, self-invested in key validation and capability improvement, and integrated it into Talon Blue.”

The YFQ-48A Talon Blue is part of Project Talon, Northrop Grumman’s portfolio aimed at producing modular, cost-efficient, and swiftly deployable aircraft.

In December last year, the USAF officially designated YFQ-48A as the Mission Design Series for the Talon prototype, identifying it as a semi-autonomous aircraft.

The airframe uses composite materials and features a 50% reduction in parts compared to earlier designs, reducing weight by approximately 1,000 pounds and permitting rapid assembly.