GA-ASI's Longshot Missile-Launching Drone to be Tested From F-15 Jet

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has welcomed the U.S. Air Force’s decision to designate the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s LongShot uncrewed air superiority system as the X-68A.

The LongShot program, a collaboration between Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and GA-ASI, is designed to transform aerial combat by deploying an uncrewed aircraft from larger host platforms to engage enemy targets with its own air-to-air missiles. By operating ahead of crewed fighters, the system aims to enhance pilot survivability while extending mission reach and effectiveness.

DARPA announced on February 17 that wind tunnel testing and other key milestones have been completed, prompting the U.S. Air Force to assign the experimental X-68A designation, placing it within the historic X-plane lineage.

The platform is designed to be host-agnostic and could be integrated with fighters, bombers, or deployed as a palletized munition. 

According to GA-ASI, upcoming flight tests will include demonstrations from an F-15 Eagle and validation of safe sub-munition release.

The X-68A is GA-ASI’s second X-plane, following the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station. It joins notable predecessors such as the Bell X-1, Rockwell-MBB X-31, and Northrop Grumman X-47B.