The uncrewed fighter plane field is getting a tad crowded and Northrop Grumman is adding to the congestion with Project Talon. Intended to operate alongside jets like the F-35 and F-22, Talon is designed as a multi-mission Loyal Wingman aircraft.
Robotic fighter planes are a bit like smart watches. They start out as expensive curiosities and then they're suddenly everywhere with the number of varieties exploding as the price plummets.
The US Air Force wants a fleet of 1,000 Loyal Wingmenm, with the Navy asking for its own uncrewed fleet. To meet this demand, the Department of War's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) competition aims to pushing the technology forward as fast as possible to create an autonomous combat aircraft that has the performance of a conventional fighter.
Project Talon is here. This next-gen autonomous aircraft is made to adapt fast.
— Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) December 4, 2025
➡️ Modular by design
➡️ Mission-ready
➡️ Built for the challenges ahead pic.twitter.com/6UOhLSBHKn
Northrop Grumman's Talon Project is something of a late comer. After losing its initial CCA competition bid, the company launched Project Lotus, which is now trying for the CCA program as Project Talon. Since it is a bit behind the curve compared to Lockheed Martin and General Atomics, Northrop Grumman is putting its own spin on the Loyal Wingman.
Like other projects, Talon aims at increasing the lethality, survivability, and operational effectiveness of air forces by acting as a force multiplier and an alternative to sending valuable pilots and fighter planes into harm's way. However, where early efforts focused on air-to-air combat capabilities, Talon goes for a multi-mission approach able to handle intelligence collection, acting as a decoy for enemy fire, and as a missile carrier using its advanced AI with its human-on-the-loop autonomous functions.
Another differentiator is that Talon is going for faster, less expensive production. According to the company, the prototype went from conception to wheels-on-the-ground in 15 months and is projected to make its first flight in nine months. Compare that to the F-35 Lightning II, which took over 13 years to go from drawing board to first flight.
Since the Air Force put an estimated cap on Loyal Wingmen at US$23 million to $25 million each and the Navy at US$15 million, Nortrop Grumman is trying to shave costs of Talon drastically by reducing manufacturing times, making it 1,000 lb (453 kg) lighter and with 50% fewer parts than the company's previous CCAs.
Source: Northrop Grumman
