General Atomics Names YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft ‘Dark Merlin’ Written 23 February 2026
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YFQ 42A Drone (artist’s rendering). | Credit: Techno Thunder; YouTube; Framegrab
Aviation Week reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced Feb. 23 that its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) has a name: the Dark Merlin. The GA-ASI YFQ-42A is one of two CCAs being developed for the U.S. Air Force’s first increment of its program, along with the Anduril YFA-44A. After first flights in 2025, both of the prototypes now await a potential production award in 2026.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
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The YFQ-42A drone by General Atomics
(Techno Thunder; YouTube)