It intends to explore the role of a low cost jet aircraft,[3] and demonstrate rapid design techniques as part of Northrop's "Digital Pathfinder" program.
[4] It completed its first flight on August 29, 2024, at Mojave Air and Space Port.
[8] Development on the Model 437 pioneered the Digital Pathfinder project, in which legacy design technologies were replaced with emerging technologies, overhauling the design process to reduce overall cost and time of development whilst necessitating less reworking.
[4] As a result, engineering rework was cut down from 15 to 20% to less than 1%,[9] with the time between commencement of design and first flight only 21 months.
[10] As part of the Digital Pathfinder project, Northrop Grumman used plasma arc directed energy disposition in the construction of the wing's titanium structural brackets, the first application on a defense aircraft to fly, whilst reducing the need for hard tooling and improving quality.