On Friday, April 17, 2026, U.S. corporation RTX announced that its subsidiary Pratt & Whitney had delivered a PW500-family jet engine for the prototype Northrop Grumman YFQ-48A Talon Blue combat unmanned aircraft, a Loyal Wingman offered for Increment 2 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program for the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
Image: RTX
The propulsion system, built around a PW500-family engine, has already been integrated with the aircraft, which is ready for its first flight tests.
Pratt & Whitney worked closely with Northrop Grumman on engine requirements and integration, and also conducted an extensive test program to expand the commercial capabilities of the PW500 engine family for Talon Blue. The tests simulated flight and operating conditions typical of CCA missions and produced favorable results in terms of thrust, range, and operational efficiency.
„Leveraging commercial technology allowed us to innovate faster, while balancing cost and critical performance enhancements for the CCA mission,” said Peter Sommerkorn, vice president of Military Development Programs at Pratt & Whitney. „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 PW500 engine family is one of several commercial engines currently in production intended for a wide range of CCA aircraft now under development. In addition to domestic projects, Pratt & Whitney is also working with an international customer and holding talks with aircraft manufacturers regarding additional opportunities.
It should be recalled that on September 22, 2025, the company announced the start of work on a family of small jet engines with thrust ranging from 227 to 840 kg (500 to 1,800 pounds), which were offered for the CCA program. The work is being carried out by the GATORWORKS design office. However, on February 23 of this year, the USAF selected GE Aerospace, part of General Electric, and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. as propulsion-solution suppliers for Increment 1 of the CCA program. In Increment 1, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. with the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril Industries with the YFQ-44A Fury are competing for the aircraft contract.
Photos: Northrop Grumman
YFQ-48A Talon Blue
On February 23 of this year, Northrop Grumman announced that its new unmanned aircraft had received the alphanumeric designation YFQ-48A and the proper name Talon Blue, and that the first prototype is currently being prepared for its maiden flight.
It is the Talon autonomous unmanned combat aircraft unveiled by the company on December 4, 2025. As reported at the time, it was designed, built, and made ready to fly in less than 24 months, including 15 months from its unveiling.
The YFQ-48A Talon Blue uses composite materials and features a 50% reduction in the number of parts. It is 1,000 pounds (454 kg) lighter than previous designs, allowing for rapid assembly and an affordable weight.
The aircraft has a lambda wing, an internal payload bay, and a reduced radar cross-section. Its jet propulsion system features an air intake on the dorsal surface and a flattened exhaust nozzle, while the tail unit is V-shaped.
Part of the Talon portfolio is the optionally crewed Talon IQ, used to test artificial intelligence-based flight software. It was built on the Beacon testbed platform, based on the semi-autonomous Model 437 Vanguard aircraft developed under the Digital Pathfinder project.