Aviation Week
Posted on 12/08/2009 5:40:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Air Force on Tuesday confirmed for the first time that it is flying a stealth unmanned aircraft known as the "Beast of Kandahar," a drone spotted in photos and shrouded in secrecy.
The RQ-170 Sentinel is being developed by Lockheed Martin and is designed "to provide reconnaissance and surveillance support to forward deployed combat forces," the air force said in a brief statement.
The "RQ" prefix for the aircraft indicates an unarmed drone, unlike the "MQ" designation used for Predator and Reaper aircraft equipped with missiles and precision-guided bombs.
Aviation experts dubbed the drone the "Beast of Kandahar" after photographs emerged earlier this year showing the mysterious aircraft in southern Afghanistan in 2007.
The image suggested a drone with a radar-evading stealth-like design, resembling a smaller version of a B-2 bomber.
A blog in the French newspaper Liberation published another photo this week, feeding speculation among aviation watchers about the classified drone.
The air force said the aircraft came out of Lockheed Martin's "Skunk Works," also known as Advanced Development Programs, in California -- the home of sophisticated and often secret defense projects including the U-2 spy plane, the F-22 fighter jet and the F-117 Nighthawk.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
New unmanned US stealth jet based in Afghanistan gathers data in Iran
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6409
So I guess if we find a picture of this baby they will have to kill us? LOL
Sounds like an intresting drone.
Aviation Week
In past years I would have celebrated this news. Now, against a backdrop of Obama and his death-to-Americans ROE, it just depresses me.
Cool, it looks like that German flying wing that they have in the back room at the Smithsonian (or is it at WP?).
I once bought some stuff from their Gifte Shoppe that came mailed in the most cheerful wrapping.
Cool, it looks like that German flying wing that they have in the back room at the Smithsonian (or is it at W-P?).
not sure, probably Smithsonian..
They had all kinds of designs back then
Good Ol’ Kelly Johnson Land ,, they built advanced stuff for sure..
Look Bruce, it's the bat plane!
If they made it public, it’s already ‘old’.
One can only imagine what the newest developments look like.
It looked familiar. ;-)
Thanks!
RQ my Aunt’s fanny!
That body is ‘thick’ enough to hold at least 12 SDB or maybe a pair of Mk 82s.
THat is the kind of support needed - a flying bomb truck, no crew needed. It lands, get fueled up, any maint gripes are known before it lands.
Another rotary rack of SDB and out to the FEBA.
So because it was spotted by someone, we have to spew all the details to the world?? Why don’t we start giving tours of Area 51?
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