General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has officially named its YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) “Dark Merlin,” the company said in a statement.
The name is inspired by the merlin, a small but fierce falcon known for hunting in pairs or groups and using surprise attacks to capture other birds in flight. These birds are also commonly spotted near GA-ASI’s San Diego facility, where the YFQ‑42 is built.
GA-ASI said the characteristics of dark merlins reflect the intended capabilities of the YFQ-42A, which is designed to operate as a “loyal wingman” alongside manned fighter jets.
“Dark merlins are hunting machines, built for speed and aerodynamics,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “The name sums up our new uncrewed fighter perfectly.”
The Dark Merlin has been making steady progress since GA-ASI was picked by the U.S. Air Force in April 2024 to build flight test versions for the CCA program, which aims to develop autonomous aircraft that can work alongside manned fighters.
Today’s successful flight of the YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) by @GenAtomics_ASI for the @usairforce shows what is possible when innovative acquisition meets motivated industry! (1/2) pic.twitter.com/XpRRj9Zuvv
— Office of the Secretary of the Air Force (@SecAFOfficial) August 27, 2025
In August 2025, the YFQ-42A completed the Air Force’s first successful CCA flight and this month flew the first CCA mission using autonomy software.
📰#NEWS: The future of uncrewed flight is now. RTX’s Sidekick software successfully powered an autonomous flight of the General Atomics YFQ-42A for the US Air Force. We’re enabling the next generation of autonomous fighter aircraft. Read more: https://t.co/kG6Ol3BHoC pic.twitter.com/1UWRPpAUdH
— RTX (@RTX_News) February 20, 2026
Maybe I’m getting old and cranky, but modifying a storied name like “Merlin” with “dark” conjures images of a senile octogenarian being propped up to be the “new cool” in a place that is well beyond his powers….