Northrop Grumman RQ-180

Reconnaissance Stealth UAV

The Northrop Grumman RQ-180 is being developed as a high-speed, stealth-minded, airspace-penetrating UAV reconnaissance platform.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 7/6/2017

The existence of the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was unveiled by the United States Air Force in December of 2013. It is an unarmed, reconnaissance-minded platform intended for deep penetration actions over enemy airspace. It is assumed that the vehicle utilizes extensive stealth features including unique body-shaping and coatings to avoid enemy detection. The system is along the same form and function of the competing Lockheed RQ-170 Sentinel though with a more extended endurance envelope. The RQ-180 was selected ahead of competing designs offered by Boeing and Lockheed.

Northrop Grumman has already enjoyed considerable public exposure through recent successes with the X-47B product for the US Navy - completing the first-ever carrier landing by a UAV in aviation history. Northrop Grumman also has over a decades-worth of experience in supporting the technologically-advanced fleet of B-2 Spirit flying wing stealth bombers. It is believed that the new RQ-180 takes on a similar design shape as the X-47B. The vehicle's wingspan is estimated to be around 130 feet though little else on the product has been revealed to date (December 2013).

This article will be updated as new information becomes available.

Specifications

Year:
2015

Crew
0

[ 1 Units ] :
Northrop Grumman - USA

United States

- Reconnaissance (RECCE)
- X-Plane / Developmental
- Unmanned

Length:
131.23 ft (40 m)

Width/Span:
164.04 ft (50 m)

Height:
34.45 ft (10.5 m)

(Showcased structural dimension values pertain to the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 production model)

Empty Weight:
14,110 lb (6,400 kg)

MTOW:
44,533 lb (20,200 kg)
(Diff: +30,424lb)

(Showcased weight values pertain to the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 production model)

(Assumed) 1 x turbofan engine.

(Showcased powerplant information pertains to the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 production model)

Service Ceiling:
40,026 feet (12,200 m; 7.58 miles)

Maximum Range:
2,423 miles (3,900 km; 2,106 nm)

(Showcased performance values pertain to the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 production model; Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database)

None. Mission-specific payloads as related to reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence-gathering.

(Showcased armament details pertain to the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 production model)

RQ-180 - Base Series Designation

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