The Royal Navy plans to demonstrate Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue uncrewed combat aircraft from a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier in 2027, according to The Aviationist, which credits Navy Lookout with first reporting the plan on November 10, 2026. First Sea Lord Gen. Sir Gwyn Jenkins disclosed it at the International Sea Power Conference, held aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo, Norway, according to the report.

What was announced

  • The demonstration is expected in UK waters and is meant to support a future “Hybrid Air Wing” combining crewed and uncrewed aircraft, The Aviationist reports.
  • The aim is practical evidence on how jet-powered uncrewed combat aircraft could operate alongside the F-35B and helicopter fleet under the Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATX) program.
  • The Aviationist says the trial will not immediately lead to a UK purchase and is intended to inform future requirements for the Fleet Air Arm.
  • Jenkins said he intended to sign a Statement of Intent with Northrop Grumman on November 12 to prepare the aircraft for trials under Project VANQUISH. Lens did not find confirmation that the document was signed.

The aircraft

  • Northrop Grumman unveiled the aircraft on December 3, 2025, at Mojave Air and Space Port, according to The Aviationist, which says the U.S. Air Force assigned it the YFQ-48A designation on December 22, 2025. Another report Lens saw dates the designation to January.
  • The Aviationist reports a first flight in October 2026 from Mojave. The aircraft was built by Northrop subsidiary Scaled Composites, and Northrop says the flight was fully autonomous, including taxi, takeoff and landing.
  • It is powered by a single commercial Pratt & Whitney PW500 turbofan, according to the report.

Project VANQUISH

The Royal Navy launched Project VANQUISH in 2025 to speed up development of a fixed-wing, jet-powered autonomous platform that could operate from its carriers, according to The Aviationist. The Ministry of Defence’s request for information sought a high-subsonic aircraft able to operate without catapults or arresting gear, with intelligence and surveillance, strike and air-to-air refueling named as mission areas. In 2023 a General Atomics Mojave, a turboprop-powered remotely piloted aircraft, took off from and landed on HMS Prince of Wales.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not name which Queen Elizabeth-class carrier will host the trial, whether the 2027 demonstration will include a recovery aboard the ship, or any funding, cost or number of aircraft.

Sources and notes

This post is based on The Aviationist’s article of November 10, 2026 by Stefano D’Urso, which cites Navy Lookout, and on search coverage of the planned Statement of Intent. Lens read The Aviationist as extracted text and could not open the USNI News article on the same plan. Lens did not see a Royal Navy or Northrop Grumman statement and did not contact either.

Image: HMS Prince of Wales at sea during its 2019 sea trials, Alex Ceolin / Royal Navy, Open Government Licence v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The 2027 trial carrier has not been named.