The United States is moving closer to a potentially transformative shift in aerial warfare as the Pentagon’s cutting-edge LongShot drone program advances toward its long-awaited first flight. Developed under the leadership of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the air-launched uncrewed aircraft—now officially designated the X-68A—has completed a series of major ground tests, including full-scale wind tunnel trials and successful demonstrations of its weapons-release and parachute recovery systems.
The program, executed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., represents a bold attempt to rethink how air-to-air combat could be conducted in contested environments increasingly dominated by long-range sensors and advanced missile threats. By deploying a drone capable of carrying and firing its own air-to-air missiles, the Pentagon hopes to extend the reach of crewed fighter aircraft while simultaneously reducing their vulnerability.
The LongShot concept is deceptively simple but operationally ambitious: launch a relatively low-cost, expendable drone from a fighter or bomber, send it deeper into contested airspace, and have it fire missiles at enemy aircraft before the launch platform itself enters danger.
The program was initiated in 2020, when DARPA awarded contracts to General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman to explore competing concepts. In 2023, General Atomics’ design was selected for continued development. While initial plans envisioned a first flight before the end of that year, technical refinements and integration work pushed the schedule back. DARPA now says flight testing is expected to begin before the end of this year.
Recent milestones include comprehensive aerodynamic testing and live demonstrations of the drone’s internal weapons-release system. Previously released renderings depict the LongShot carrying at least one AIM-120 AMRAAM—the widely used Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile—housed in an internal bay along the underside of its fuselage.
The drone’s design resembles a compact cruise missile. It features an elongated fuselage, a chined nose, reverse-swept wings that deploy after launch, and small forward canards. An inverted V-tail and a dorsal engine intake complete its distinctive silhouette. According to its official entry in the U.S. Mission-Design-Series system, the X-68A is powered by a single Williams WJ38-15 turbojet engine—a propulsion choice suggesting high subsonic performance approaching Mach 0.95.
Notably, this same engine powers the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile, reinforcing the notion that LongShot occupies a conceptual space somewhere between missile and aircraft.
The first live launch of the X-68A is slated to occur from an F-15 fighter. The F-15 Eagle and its modernized variants are particularly well suited to the role due to their exceptional payload capacity. In recent years, the U.S. Air Force has highlighted the new F-15EX Eagle II as an ideal “missile truck” and airborne controller for advanced uncrewed systems.
The F-15 family has already demonstrated its flexibility as an aerial launch platform for experimental and operational jet-powered drones, both in the United States and abroad. Integrating LongShot onto the aircraft builds on this legacy while adding a new dimension: the ability to project air-to-air firepower far beyond the fighter’s organic sensor and missile range.
DARPA and General Atomics have also explored additional launch methods, including deployment from bomber internal weapons bays and via the palletized “Rapid Dragon” system from cargo aircraft. Such options would dramatically expand the potential scale of operations, allowing large aircraft to disperse multiple LongShot drones into contested airspace in rapid succession.
At its core, LongShot aims to stretch the air-to-air engagement envelope. Rather than forcing a crewed fighter to close within missile range of a hostile aircraft—potentially exposing it to counterattack—the fighter could launch a LongShot from standoff distance. The drone would then proceed forward, leveraging targeting data from a networked “kill web” architecture, before releasing its missile.
The concept aligns closely with ongoing Pentagon efforts to build interconnected sensor and shooter networks across domains. In such architectures, targeting information may originate from satellites, airborne early warning aircraft, surface ships, or even ground-based radars. LongShot would not necessarily rely solely on the launching fighter’s radar; it could ingest data from multiple nodes, enhancing flexibility and survivability.
This distributed engagement model could significantly complicate adversary planning. Enemy aircraft might find themselves targeted from unexpected vectors by missiles launched from uncrewed platforms operating independently or semi-autonomously.
Moreover, LongShot drones could create temporary counter-air screens. A bomber or cargo aircraft releasing multiple X-68As could rapidly saturate a segment of airspace with air-to-air threats, forming a protective bubble around high-value assets such as tankers, ISR aircraft, or command-and-control platforms.
While early descriptions of the program emphasized direct control from the launch aircraft, more advanced concepts envision flexible command arrangements. After launch, control could remain local or be handed off to another platform via beyond-line-of-sight datalinks. Relay nodes could extend communication ranges, while onboard autonomy could reduce the need for constant human input.
Patrick “Mike” Shortsleeve, Vice President of DoD Strategic Development at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, has described LongShot as effectively an “air-launched fighter”—a smaller uncrewed aircraft capable of carrying air-to-air missiles and entering contested zones in mass when required.
Higher levels of autonomy would be particularly important if LongShots are deployed in swarms or at extended ranges. In such scenarios, human operators might assign mission parameters while the drones independently navigate, deconflict, and execute engagements.
Though LongShot has demonstrated a parachute recovery system during testing, officials have clarified that this feature is intended primarily for developmental and training purposes. In wartime, the drone is expected to be expendable.
General Atomics spokesperson C. Mark Brinkley previously noted that recovery is impractical in combat and unnecessary at the projected price point. The program’s emphasis is on operational effectiveness rather than reusability.
Still, the cost equation remains a subject of debate. Employing an expendable drone to deliver a missile closer to the fight may offer tactical advantages, but it must be weighed against alternative solutions such as longer-range missiles or reusable collaborative drones.
LongShot’s development occurs amid broader U.S. military efforts to field Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)—a family of autonomous or semi-autonomous drones designed to operate alongside crewed fighters.
General Atomics is already developing the YFQ-42A under the Air Force’s first CCA increment, while Anduril is working on the YFQ-44A. The Marine Corps has signaled interest in the YFQ-42A design as a surrogate for future capabilities.
LongShot could inform or complement these programs, particularly in a second increment focused on specialized roles. Unlike CCAs intended for repeated use and broader mission sets, LongShot emphasizes a specific function: extending air-to-air engagement range as an expendable asset.
The conceptual overlap underscores a central theme in modern airpower development—the blending of missile, drone, and aircraft roles into increasingly fluid categories.
The LongShot initiative reflects mounting concern over the vulnerability of traditional fighter operations in highly contested airspace. Potential adversaries have invested heavily in advanced surface-to-air missile systems, long-range air-to-air weapons, and sophisticated sensor networks.
In such environments, simply adding more advanced fighters may not be sufficient. Instead, dispersing capability across uncrewed platforms could provide a survivability advantage.
By pushing missile launch points deeper into hostile territory without risking pilots, LongShot offers a way to maintain air dominance while mitigating exposure. It also provides commanders with additional tactical options, enabling layered defenses and distributed offensive operations.
Despite recent progress, significant hurdles remain. Flight testing from the F-15 will validate aerodynamic stability, separation dynamics, and system integration. Safe release of both the drone and its captive sub-munition is a critical milestone.
Beyond technical validation, the program must prove its operational value. Questions linger about cost-effectiveness, logistics, and command-and-control complexity. Integrating LongShot into existing tactics, techniques, and procedures will require careful doctrinal development.
Furthermore, adversaries are unlikely to stand still. Countermeasures, electronic warfare, and improved missile defenses could erode some of the drone’s advantages over time.
DARPA says ground and integration testing is steadily building toward the safe employment of the X-68A from an F-15. The upcoming flight campaign will confirm the drone’s airworthiness and demonstrate its ability to eject a captive sub-munition safely.
After years of schedule adjustments, the program appears poised to enter its most visible phase. A successful first flight would mark a critical step toward operational experimentation and potential transition to service adoption.
Whether LongShot ultimately becomes a standard feature of U.S. airpower or serves primarily as a technological pathfinder, its progress signals a broader shift in how the Pentagon envisions future aerial combat.
By merging elements of cruise missiles, drones, and fighters into a single air-launched platform, the X-68A embodies a new approach to extending reach and redistributing risk. As flight testing begins, the program may offer the clearest glimpse yet of how air dominance could evolve in an era defined by contested skies and networked warfare.
