Northrop Grumman RQ-180

Reconnaissance Stealth UAV

United States | 2015

"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: 07/06/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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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.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 Reconnaissance Stealth UAV.

(Assumed) 1 x turbofan engine.
Propulsion

40,026 ft
12,200 m | 8 miles
Service Ceiling

2,423 miles
3,900 km | 2,106 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 Reconnaissance Stealth UAV.

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

131.2 ft
40.00 m
O/A Length

164.0 ft
(50.00 m)
O/A Width

34.4 ft
(10.50 m)
O/A Height

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

44,533 lb
(20,200 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 Reconnaissance Stealth UAV .

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

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Northrop Grumman RQ-180 family line.

RQ-180 - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Northrop Grumman RQ-180. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Northrop Grumman - USA

[ United States ]

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

RECONNAISSANCE

X-PLANE

UNMANNED

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Northrop Grumman RQ-180 Reconnaissance Stealth UAV appears in the following collections:

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