General Atomics FQ-42 Dark Merlin
Unmanned combat aircraft under development by General Atomics
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The General Atomics FQ-42 Dark Merlin is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) currently under development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The aircraft is one of the winning designs for Increment I of the United States Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program and is intended to augment crewed fighter aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning, and the planned Boeing F-47 fighter for air-to-air missions through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).[2]
| FQ-42 Dark Merlin | |
|---|---|
| General Atomics YFQ-42 in a ground test facility | |
| General information | |
| Type | |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | General Atomics Aeronautical Systems |
| Status | Under development |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | At least 3[1] |
| History | |
| First flight | 27 August 2025 |
| Developed from | General Atomics XQ-67A |
Development and design
The FQ-42 is a member of General Atomics "Gambit" family of UCAVs and derived from the company's XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator built for the Air Force Research Laboratory.[3][4] The design was selected as one of the two winners of the Increment I CCA with designation YFQ-42 alongside the Anduril's "Fury" design designated as the YFQ-44.[5]
A mockup of the design was showcased during a September 2024 Air Force conference; the aircraft's configuration is similar to the XQ-67A but modified for greater speeds and fighter-like maneuverability, with the airframe having an elongated fuselage with slender wings, a dorsal-mounted inlet, a single engine, V-tails, and internal weapons bay. Planned armament is two AIM-120 AMRAAMs.[6][7] The design is expected to provide the USAF with "affordable mass" to augment its crewed fighters in air-to-air missions. Its low cost nature, while not attritable, enables users and commanders to take greater risks with them.[8]
The aircraft received its formal designation during the 2025 Air & Space Forces Association symposium. On 27 August 2025, the United States Air Force and General Atomics announced the YFQ-42A had begun its flight testing.[9]
On 23 February 2026, in a statement from General Atomics, the YFQ-42 was named "Dark Merlin", named after a type of falcon.[2][10]
On 17 June 2026, the Air Force announced it had selected both the YFQ-42 and Anduril's YFQ-44 for an initial production contract, with a combined 150 FQ-42s and FQ-44s to be built by 2030.[11]
Flight Test Mishap
On 6 April 2026 a YFQ-42A crashed during a mishap shortly after takeoff, resulting in the total loss[12] of an aircraft and causing delays in flight testing activities.[13][14] Flight testing resumed on 21 May 2026.[12]
The cause was determined to be an autopilot miscalculation of the aircraft weight & center of gravity.[12]
Variants
- YFQ-42A: Prototype aircraft tested by the U.S. Air Force.
- FQ-42A: Production aircraft selected for the U.S. Air Force.[15]
Operators
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists