Overview
- DARPA confirmed the LongShot demonstrator now carries the X-68A designation after full-scale wind tunnel work and successful parachute recovery and weapons-release demonstrations.
- Ground and integration testing continue as the program targets initial flight tests as early as late 2026 using an F-15 as the launch platform.
- The first campaign is planned to validate safe separation from the host aircraft, confirm flightworthiness, and demonstrate controlled ejection of a captive sub‑munition.
- Program officials said the team shifted from a multi‑stage glider concept to a single fully powered vehicle and narrowed near‑term efforts to F‑15 integration.
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems remains the sole Phase 2 contractor, and DARPA frames X‑68A as an autonomous X‑plane demonstrator that would require follow‑on development to become an operational capability.