General Atomics Names Loyal Wingman Prototype YFQ-42A ‘Dark Merlin’

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has selected “Dark Merlin” as the name for its YFQ-42A unmanned aerial system bid under the US Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

The company’s decision aims to highlight the avian subspecies known for its speed, surprise attacks, and hunting other falcons.

“Dark merlins are hunting machines, built for speed and aerodynamics,” GA-ASI President David Alexander said.

“They harass other falcons for fun, and they eat what they kill. The name sums up our new uncrewed fighter perfectly.”

GA-ASI said it will eventually drop the drone’s “Y” prefix, which denotes a prototype, and keep “F” for fighter and “Q” for uncrewed under air force designation rules, if the platform receives approval for production.

Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program

The CCA initiative is part of Washington’s long-term plan to integrate a cost-effective drone with manned combat missions.

The resulting system from that effort will be fielded alongside the US Air Force’s F-35 and the future F-47 jets, improving operability and safety for pilots.

The airframes, also called “loyal wingman” platforms, are also planned to be adopted alongside older air force assets, such as F-15 jets and KC-46 tankers.

Progress

GA-ASI was selected in 2024 to build a production-representative test aircraft for the CCA. The company then completed its prototype’s maiden flight in 2025.

Alongside GA-ASI, the military is engaged with Anduril Industries and its YFQ-44A testbed for the effort’s initial phase.

The companies now await a potential production decision later this year, as their autonomous fighter advances through more complex flight testing.