Northrop Grumman RQ-180
| Northrop Grumman RQ-180 | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Stealth caps - reconnaissance drone |
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The Northrop Grumman RQ-180 is a stealth - reconnaissance drone of the US Air Force . The RQ-180 is the potential successor to the RQ-170 Sentinel and was unveiled at the beginning of December 2013 in “Aviation Week”.
development
The development of the RQ-180 can be traced back to the " Joint Unmanned Combat Air System " program, which was canceled in 2005 because the requirements of the US Navy and the US Air Force were too contradictory. The Navy wanted a carrier-supported model and started the UCAS-D program , from which the X-47B Pegasus emerged . The Air Force was more interested in a larger model with a global reach and therefore started a "Classified Program". Northrop Grumman prevailed against Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the following tender and received the development contract for the RQ-180 in 2008. The delivery of the first prototypes was set for 2013.
construction
The RQ-180 is roughly the size of the RQ-4 Global Hawk (approx. 40 m wingspan) and should also provide similar flight performance, especially with regard to the duration of use, which is a great advantage over the RQ-170. In order to be able to carry out ISR missions in heavily defended airspaces, the airframe of the RQ-180 is heavily cloak-optimized. However, in order to be able to meet the requirements in terms of range and flight altitude, Northrop Grumman resorted to the so-called "cranked kite" design.
Web links
- Spiegel Online - Stealth drone: US military lets new super scout fly
- Aviation Week - Secret New UAS Shows Stealth, Efficiency Advances (English)