| Polecat | |
|---|---|
 A picture of the Lockheed-Martin Polecat released at theFarnborough Airshow in 2006 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed MartinSkunk Works |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 2005 |
| Retired | December 18, 2006 |
| Developed from | Lockheed Martin X-44 (UAV) |
| Developed into | Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel |
TheLockheed Martin Polecat (company designationP-175) was anunmanned aerial vehicle byLockheed Martin. It was developed by the company'sAdvanced Development Programs division inPalmdale,California.
DesignatedP-175, the Polecat was funded internally by Lockheed Martin (as opposed to usingUnited States Government funds) at the beginning of 2005. The prototype was unveiled at the 2006Farnborough Airshow.[1][2] It was developed over a period of 18 months.[3]
On December 18, 2006, the aircraft crashed due to an "irreversible unintentional failure in the flight termination ground equipment, which caused the aircraft's automatic fail-safe flight termination mode to activate."[4]
General characteristics
Performance