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| RQ-180 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Surveillanceunmanned aerial vehicle |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 2015 |
| First flight | 3 August 2010 |
TheNorthrop Grumman RQ-180 is an Americanstealthunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)surveillance aircraft intended for contested airspace. As of 2019[update], there had been no images or statements released, but evidence points to the existence of the RQ-180 and its use in regular front-line service.[1]
After the retirement of theSR-71 Blackbird in 1999, the US Air Force lacked an intelligence platform capable of penetrating airspace guarded by advanced air defense systems. The RQ-180 was designed to fulfill the mission previously accomplished by the high-speed SR-71.[2]
The RQ-180 appears to be a follow-on to theJoint Unmanned Combat Air Systems project which was cancelled in late 2005 when theUnited States Navy (USN) wanted a carrier-based aircraft (which led to theUCAS-D) while theUnited States Air Force (USAF) wanted a larger, long-range global strike platform. In December 2005, the program was split in two, with the USN starting the UCAS-D program which created theNorthrop Grumman X-47B, and the USAF starting a "classified program". The program was unmasked inAviation Week & Space Technology in a December 6, 2013 cover story following several months of research.[3]
The RQ-180 designation was initially speculated on in that story as a logical numerical progression from theRQ-170,[3] andP-175 Polecat.[citation needed] The "RQ" designation (R for reconnaissance, Q for unmanned) indicates that the RQ-180 is unmanned and does not carry weapons.[4]
The RQ-180 was secretly funded through the USAF's classified budget.Northrop Grumman was given the task to build the aircraft after a competition in which it defeatedBoeing andLockheed Martin. Northrop Grumman is believed to have been awarded a development contract for the RQ-180 in 2008, with deliveries of low-rate production aircraft beginning in 2013. Satellite imagery ofArea 51 reportedly shows large hangars that could house the 130 ft (40 m) or larger wingspan of the aircraft. The RQ-180 may also be related to the expansion of Northrop Grumman's production facility atUnited States Air Force Plant 42 inPalmdale, California.[3] The RQ-180 made its first flight on August 3, 2010, and eight additional EMD vehicles were built and flown, with the first production RQ-180 entering service in January 2017.[1][5][verification needed]
According toAviation Week, the secret development of the RQ-180 explains public statements of USAF officials calling for penetratingintelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities with no public acknowledgement of an effort to create one. It may explain the service's lack of commitment for theRQ-4 Global Hawk and instead favoring of higher priority "classified platforms". The USAF also does not want to buy and maintain large numbers ofMQ-1 Predator andMQ-9 Reaper systems in order to have an aircraft that would have the ability to penetrate denied airspace and persistently provide ISR coverage.[3] The RQ-180 may also be responsible for the termination of theNext-Generation Bomber program in 2009 from costs, and the emergence of the follow-onLong Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program that would be cheaper and work with the UAV. The USAF MQ-X program that was to find a platform to replace the Reaper may have been cancelled in 2012 because of the RQ-180.[6]
Creation of the RQ-180 is believed to be related to the LRS-B program, which will have a new strategic bomber operate with a "family of systems" including aLong Range Stand Off Weapon, conventionalPrompt Global Strike missiles, andelectronic attack and ISR platforms; the RQ-180 would appear to fill the electronic attack and ISR roles.[7] On October 27, 2015, the LRS-B development contract was also awarded to Northrop Grumman.[8]
Lockheed Martin is developing its own solution to the problem of operating an ISR in defended airspace, known as theSR-72, that relies on flying athypersonic speeds. Northrop Grumman's stealth design was seen as less susceptible to acquisition problems and risky technologies and could be put into service sooner, as soon as 2015.[6] A hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft would have inferior stealth features due to heat stress on radar absorbent materials and would thus be detected earlier. Moving targets could change position before the SR-72 could reach them.[9]
The existence of the aircraft was confirmed with the briefest of details by an Air Force surveillance chief during an aerospace industry event in 2014.[10]
The74th Reconnaissance Squadron was activated atBeale Air Force Base, California on 19 December 2019.[11] While the USAF did not disclose what aircraft the unit was equipped with, it has been reported that it was established to operate RQ-180s.[12] Some speculate that due to lack of available hangar space the airframes themselves are actually located at theTonopah Test Range Airport, and that only aircrew and remote operations are based at Beale AFB.[13] Similarly, the 417th Test and Evaluation Squadron was activated at Edwards AFB, California on 24 April 2018 without a disclosed mission assigned.[14] Having been the first Squadron assigned to operate the secretiveF-117 in the 1980s, and because of symbolism present on 417 TES merchandise,[citation needed] similar theories have arose that the 417 TES operates the RQ-180 as well.
In November 2020, the first photograph emerged of what is believed to be the RQ-180. The aircraft was spotted flying at high altitude overEdwards Air Force Base.[15] In September 2021, a second photo emerged, depicting the aircraft high over the Philippines.[16] Some observers noted that the aircraft in the photos is similar in appearance to the Lockheed Martin P-175 Polecat.[16]
The RQ-180 addresses a need for conducting penetrating ISR missions into defended airspace, a mission that was left unattended with the retirement of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in 1999. It is equipped with anAESA radar and passive electronic surveillance measures, and may be capable of conductingelectronic attack missions. The RQ-180 shows a shift from UAVs that operate in permissive environments, such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper, to ones that can perform missions in contested airspace. It is larger, stealthier, and has a longer range than theRQ-170 Sentinel which has previously been used for those types of missions. The RQ-180 is believed to be about the size of the Global Hawk, which weighs 32,250 lb (14,630 kg), and have similar capabilities of endurance (24 hours) and range (12,000 nmi (14,000 mi; 22,000 km)). This is much more than the RQ-170's endurance of 5–6 hours. It has superior all-aspect, broadband radar cross-section reduction features compared to previous stealth aircraft such as theF-117 Nighthawk,F-22 Raptor andF-35 Lightning II. The airframe has superior aerodynamics to give better range, endurance, and service ceiling.[3]
The RQ-180 is believed to have a cranked-kite layout like the X-47B, but with a much longer wingspan, perhaps as much as 130 ft (40 m). Northrop Grumman claims the wing is more scalable and adaptable than theB-2 Spirit's flying wing shape.[3] Aviation Week constructed concept images, including one on the cover of the magazine, of the stealthy unmanned aircraft that can penetrate an adversary's state-of-the-art air defenses to conduct intelligence, surveillance or reconnaissance missions.[17]Edwards Air Force Base personnel have reportedly nicknamed the RQ-180 the "Great White Bat" and "Shikaka".[18]
Other commentators believe the RQ-180 can function as an advanced communications relay node, integrating a suite of next-generation datalink technologies including those of the B-2,B-21, F-22, and F-35.[19]
General characteristics
Performance
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