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Northrop Grumman and Shield AI<\/a> announced on Mar. 19, 2026<\/a>, that the Talon IQ autonomy testbed aircraft, based on the Model 437 Vanguard<\/a> developed by the former\u2019s subsidiary Scaled Composites, flew for the first time with Shield\u2019s Hivemind AI autonomy software and Northrop\u2019s own Prism autonomous flight code.<\/p>\n In a statement, both companies said that the Talon IQ executed \u201ccombat air patrol and target engagement maneuvers,\u201d while being piloted by Hivemind, and then \u201cseamlessly swapped back to [\u2026] Prism.\u201d This validated its \u201cplug-and-play [\u2026] modular, open architecture design,\u201d while meeting the U.S. government\u2019s Autonomy-Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Northrop and Shield AI<\/a> added in their joint statement<\/a> that the Model 437\/Talon IQ had flown with Prism before, \u201cestablishing Talon IQ as a flight\u2011proven platform.\u201d They also stressed upon Hivemind\u2019s ability to be integrated upon aircraft with \u201cminimal modification,\u201d with the test flight coming just \u201cafter a single\u2011day hardware\u2011in\u2011the\u2011loop test.\u201d<\/p>\n We flew @ShieldAITech<\/a>\u2019s Hivemind software on Talon IQ \u2014 a plug-and-play platform that cuts development time and speeds AI deployment.<\/p>\n Learn more: https:\/\/t.co\/CcJEiQ5Kv8<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KsFg3R4HjN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Northrop Grumman (@NGCNews) March 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Shield AI\u2019s Hivemind is now associated directly with two of the leading unmanned aircraft of the Air Force\u2019s Collaborative Combat Aircraft\u2019s (CCA) Increment 1 phase \u2013 Anduril\u2019s YFQ-44A Fury and GA-ASI\u2019s YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. Northrop\u2019s own YFQ-48A Talon Blue CCA might join the Increment 2 stage, and trials on the Talon IQ will inform its evolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n The companies\u2019 joint statement said Hivemind was integrated and flown on Model 437\/Talon IQ after \u201ca single\u2011day hardware\u2011in\u2011the\u2011loop test, demonstrating the rapid transition from lab to actual flight, while conforming to A-GRA interfaces. Hivemind \u201csuccessfully commanded\u201d the Talon IQ to \u201cexecute combat air patrol and target engagement maneuvers,\u201d before seamlessly switching back to Prism.<\/p>\n Autonomy moving from lab to flight faster than ever.<\/p>\n Hivemind completed the first partner mission autonomy flight within @northropgrumman<\/a>\u2018s Talon IQ ecosystem, integrating onto the Model 437 autonomous test aircraft used in the program\u2019s flight test environment.<\/p>\n After just one\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/f1dlv62nNq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shield AI (@shieldaitech) March 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe are accelerating autonomous flight innovation with Talon IQ,\u201d said Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems. \u201cBy integrating Shield AI\u2019s Hivemind into our testbed, we\u2019ve demonstrated an open architecture platform that propels plug and play mission autonomy forward at unprecedented speed.\u201d<\/p>\n Christian Gutierrez, vice president of Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI, said the Talon IQ helped mature mission autonomy, with the integration showing \u201chow Hivemind can transition onto new aircraft with minimal modification.\u201d<\/p>\n The Model 437 Vanguard, which flew for the first time on Aug. 29, 2024<\/a>, from Scaled Composites\u2019 facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port, California, was subsequently named \u201cBeacon\u201d<\/a>. The Beacon autonomy testbed ecosystem allowed third party technology companies to rapidly test their autonomous flight programs. This helps speed up maturation efforts and reduce risks before operational fielding.<\/p>\n The Model 437 was subsequently seen outside Scaled Composites\u2019 hangar with the \u201cBeacon\u201d marking<\/a> on its V-tail in a video<\/a> Northrop Grumman released on Jul. 22, 2025. Then, on Sep. 20, 2025<\/a>, Scaled Composites announced the Model 437 Vanguard\/Beacon would resume flight testing at Mojave in a new phase of envelope expansion flights<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, the Talon IQ name can be said to have been assigned as Northrop Grumman introduced its YFQ-48A<\/a> Talon Blue<\/a> Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), meant for the program\u2019s Increment 2 phase. The aircraft retained the original Model 437 Vanguard\u2019 registration \u2018N437VN,\u2019 and received a new \u201cTalon IQ\u201d marking on the tail.<\/p>\n The optionally manned Talon IQ will now most likely support and inform the testing, verification, refinement and future development of AI-enabled autonomous flight software, before trialing them on the YF-48A Talon Blue. This would take place as Northrop Grumman observes how the Increment 1 phase, with Anduril\u2019s YFQ-44A Fury and GA-ASI\u2019s YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, progresses.<\/p>\n It is unclear if the latest flight of the platform was manned or unmanned. It is possible that a pilot was still on board as a safety measure to take control in case of an emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scaled is excited to share that this morning we conducted the first flight of the Model 437 Vanguard, demonstrating @northropgrumman<\/a>\u2018s Digital Pathfinder wings with test pilot Brian Maisler in command. Learn more at https:\/\/t.co\/fUqOQUD34V<\/a>#FirstFlight<\/a> #FlightTest<\/a> #M437Vanguard<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0w4HkJtN9c<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Scaled Composites (@ScaledC) August 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Anduril\u2019s YFQ-44A Fury has flown with Shield AI\u2019s Hivemind and Anduril\u2019s own Lattice autonomous flight program<\/a> late in February 2026, switching between the two mid-flight. This came after Fury had flown with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)<\/a> under its wing.<\/p>\n Then, in mid-February, the U.S. Air Force announced the successful integration<\/a> of A-GRA with mission autonomy software like Collins Aerospace\u2019s Sidekick and Shield\u2019s Hivemind on the YFQ-44A Fury and YFQ-42A Dark Merlin. On the Dark Merlin, Shield AI had confirmed its selection as a mission autonomy provider following a competitive Technology Maturity and Risk Reduction (TMRR) evaluation.<\/p>\n At least two prototypes of the Fury have been photographed, while the YFQ-42A Dark Merlin has three confirmed airframes.<\/p>\n Hivemind just flew @anduriltech<\/a>\u2018s YFQ-44A.<\/p>\n Hivemind completed its first flight test aboard Anduril\u2019s YFQ-44A aircraft for the @usairforce<\/a>\u2019s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. During the flight test over the Mojave Desert, Hivemind passed all required test points,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/q3GTCesciH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shield AI (@shieldaitech) February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Hivemind autonomous flight software has previously flown<\/a> the U.S. Navy\u2019s BQM-177A and Airbus\u2019 DT25<\/a> target drones, and the Airbus MQ-72C Lakota<\/a> unmanned rotary-wing platform.<\/p>\n As a part of the CCA program, the AI agent has also flown GA-ASI\u2019s MQ-20 Avenger<\/a> in February 2025<\/a>, June 2025<\/a> and July 2025<\/a>, validating the Hivemind and Autonomy-Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) interfaces and achieving simulated air-to-air kills. The MQ-20 feeds GA-ASI\u2019s broader CCA effort, along with the company\u2019s XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station<\/a> (OBSS).<\/p>\n YFQ-48A Talon Blue.<\/p>\n The autonomous wingman for the @usairforce<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/wFmZvd1vG4<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Model 437 flies with Hivemind and Prism<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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From Model 437 Vanguard to Talon IQ<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Hivemind and USAF\u2019s CCA program<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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