Also: Hybrid-Electric Propulsion, Joby Reports On 2025, Drone Wingmen Engine, NASA Replacements The FAA put in place Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) to restrict flights last Thursday near Fort Hancock, Texas, about 50- miles southeast of El Paso after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone was reportedly shot down by a laser operated by the military. Media reports noted that “the Defense Department used a high-energy laser” to shoot down the CBP drone. Northrop Grumman has formally introduced the YFQ-48A Talon Blue as the U.S. Air Force-designated variant of its internally funded Project Talon portfolio. The bird, now officially recognized under the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, aims to serve as an autonomous wingman to support crewed fighters. The rapid growth of small, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at every level of the Army has crowded low-altitude airspace, requiring units to safely deconflict thousands of Group 1 and Group 2 drones with rotary-wing attack. As ground forces rely on these systems, the challenge is to maximize their use without compromising the safety of manned aviation or hindering mission tempo. All this — and MORE in today’s episode of Airborne-NextGen!!!
