America names new fighter drone Dark Merlin

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced that its U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft will carry the designation YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, as the uncrewed fighter progresses through flight testing.

The San Diego-based company said the name draws on the dark merlin falcon, described as a small but aggressive bird of prey known for speed and surprise attacks. The aircraft’s manufacturing home in southern California overlaps with the bird’s migratory range, the company noted.

“Dark merlins are hunting machines, built for speed and aerodynamics,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “They harass other falcons for fun, and they eat what they kill. The name sums up our new uncrewed fighter perfectly.”

Under U.S. Air Force designation rules, the prefix “Y” indicates early production-representative test aircraft. “F” denotes fighter and “Q” denotes uncrewed. If the platform enters full production, the aircraft would drop the “Y” and become the FQ-42A, retaining the Dark Merlin nickname.

The YFQ-42A forms part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme, which is intended to field autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft capable of operating alongside crewed fighters. GA-ASI was selected in April 2024 to build production-representative flight test articles.

According to the company, the aircraft completed the Air Force’s first successful CCA flight in August 2025 and earlier this month conducted a further milestone flight using mission autonomy software. GA-ASI said multiple Dark Merlin aircraft have now been built and flown, including autonomous take-offs and landings as part of the ongoing test campaign.

The platform is described as a purpose-built CCA design with a modular architecture intended to enable rapid integration of mission systems. GA-ASI said its autonomy framework, refined through live flight testing, is designed to support human-machine teaming in complex combat environments.

The company has previously developed and flown other uncrewed jet aircraft, including the MQ-20 Avenger and the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, the latter developed with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The XQ-67A served as a prototype platform contributing to the Dark Merlin’s development, the company said.

The CCA programme is central to the Air Force’s future force design, envisaging uncrewed aircraft operating in concert with crewed fighters to expand combat mass and complicate adversary targeting.