it ’s the successor to the lockheed martin rq-170 sentinel , known as the “ beast of kandahar ” for its countless missions out of afghanistan since 2007 .
the new uas underpins the air force isr , a.k.a .
according to aviation week , the unmanned spy plane would allow the air force to expand isr capabilities beyond the “ permissive environments — such as iraq and afghanistan , ” where current drones such as the global hawk and predator reaper operate .
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 .
unlike the recently announced sr-72 , the new rq-180 from northrop grumman is believed to be currently in flight testing according to aviation week and space technology .
december 06 , 2013 credit : ronnie olsthoorn concept for aw&st a large , classified unmanned aircraft developed by northrop grumman is now flying — and it demonstrates a major advance in combining stealth and aerodynamic efficiency .
the rq-180 the latest top secret unmanned spy plane to be uncovered is n’t just a design idea , it ’s already flying at the air force ’s famed area 51 .
the u.s. air force would only acknowledge that it lost control of an rq-170 over western afghanistan , where northrop grumman ’s non - stealthy global hawk and general atomics ’ reaper operate — and toward operations in “ contested � ?
the new rq-180 is thought to largely address the problem of flying in hostile airspace through improved stealth design and better aerodynamics .