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United States In development General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin)
GA-ASI's jet-powered, uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) built to fly alongside crewed fighters. Derived from the genus-species Gambit family and the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station airframe, it was designated YFQ-42A by the USAF, first flew on 27 August 2025, and was named 'Dark Merlin' in early 2026. Selected alongside Anduril's YFQ-44A under CCA Increment 1, with a combined initial production run of 150 FQ-42/FQ-44 aircraft planned by 2030. Its autonomy core was matured over five years of flight testing on GA-ASI's jet-powered MQ-20 Avenger.
Planned service entry 2025 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-16
Pricing: Selected for CCA Increment 1 initial production (USAF, June 2026); designed for attritable cost well below a crewed fighter
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Development status
Limited · 1 operator
Planned service entry 2025. Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 0 |
|---|
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 1 |
|---|---|
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbofan |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
|---|
Specifications compiled from public General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-16.
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Baykar Bayraktar Akinci Frequently asked questions
How many crew does the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) require? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) requires a crew of 0.
What is the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) used for? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) is a uav / drone typically used for air superiority, isr, strike.
How many countries operate the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin)? +
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) cost? +
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin): Selected for CCA Increment 1 initial production (USAF, June 2026); designed for attritable cost well below a crewed fighter. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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YFQ-42A (Dark Merlin) in the news
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Anduril's YFQ-44A Fires First-Ever CCA Live-Fire Missile
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