Saturday, December 7, 2013

Unmasking The U.S. Air Force's New Drone: RQ-180


Secret New UAS Shows Stealth, Efficiency Advances -- Aviation Week

A large, classified unmanned aircraft developed by Northrop Grumman is now flying—and it demonstrates a major advance in combining stealth and aerodynamic efficiency. Defense and intelligence officials say the secret unmanned aerial system (UAS), designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, is scheduled to enter production for the U.S. Air Force and could be operational by 2015.

Funded through the Air Force’s classified budget, the program to build this new UAS, dubbed the RQ-180, was awarded to Northrop Grumman after a competition that included Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The aircraft will conduct the penetrating ISR mission that has been left unaddressed, and under wide debate, since retirement of the Lockheed SR-71 in 1998.

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More News On The RQ-180

Unmasking the RQ-180 -- Ares/Aviation Week
Where Does RQ-180 Fit In Stealthy UAS History? -- Aviation Week
U.S. Air Force flying new Northrop spy drone -AvWeek -- Reuters
Unmasked: Area 51's Biggest, Stealthiest Spy Drone Yet -- Killer Apps/Foreign Policy
Penton's Aviation Week Uncovers New, Classified Unmanned Aircraft Flying at Area 51 -- Sacramento Bee/PR Newswire
Report: Air Force building drone for operations in ‘hostile’ airspace -- Washington Times
US Air Force 'secretly builds new stealth drone' -- The Telegraph
Aviation Week: RQ-180 UAS is the USAF new Stealth Drone -- Defense Update

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