“Dark merlins are hunting machines, built for speed and aerodynamics,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “They harass other falcons for fun, and they eat what they kill. The name sums up our ...
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / February 23, 2026 / General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is giving its U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft a new name: YFQ-42A Dark Merlin.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced Feb. 23 that its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) has a name: the Dark Merlin. The GA-ASI YFQ-42A is one of two CCAs being developed for ...
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YFQ-42 CCA named Dark Merlin

GA-ASI has named its YFQ-42 Collaborative Combat Aircraft as Dark Merlin, a small, fierce falcon species which hunts other falcons while collaborating in groups. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems ...
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) being developed by Anduril and GA-ASI are hitting the skies.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced that its U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft will carry the designation YFQ-42A Dark Merlin.