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| Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel | |
|---|---|
| Name | RQ-170 Sentinel |
| Caption | RQ-170 Sentinel prototype |
| Type | Unmanned stealth reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works |
| First flight | Circa 2006 |
| Introduced | 2007 (reported) |
| Status | Active (reported) |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel is an unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for high-altitude, stealth reconnaissance missions attributed to the United States Air Force. Reported in the mid-2000s, the platform attracted attention after public disclosures and notable international incidents involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Coverage and analysis of the aircraft link it to broader programs such as Unmanned aerial vehicle development, Stealth technology, and intelligence collection efforts associated with the Central Intelligence Agency and Air Force Special Operations Command.
Development traces to classified projects within Lockheed Martin and the Skunk Works division that previously produced platforms like the F-117 Nighthawk and the SR-71 Blackbird derivative studies. Early reporting linked the system to procurement documents from the United States Air Force and Defense Intelligence Agency activity during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Test flights and limited public imagery emerged alongside other reconnaissance initiatives such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and concept work influenced by lessons from the Gulf War and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Contractors, congressional oversight committees, and procurement analysts discussed budgets and contract vehicles similar to those used for Joint Strike Fighter development and classified acquisition routes familiar from Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration programs.
The airframe exhibits flying wing characteristics reminiscent of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and incorporates low-observable shaping akin to earlier stealth aircraft produced by Skunk Works. Sensors and mission avionics reportedly allow signals intelligence, electro-optical/infrared imaging, and datalink operations associated with architecture used by National Reconnaissance Office-adjacent systems. Propulsion appears to be a single turbofan with intake and exhaust integration similar to stealth designs such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II's engine stealth features. Materials and surface treatments reflect composites development related to programs like the U-2 upgrades and radar-absorbent material research funded through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency initiatives. Guidance, navigation, and control systems are congruent with digital flight-control approaches deployed in platforms operated by Air Combat Command and networked via datalinks used in Operation Enduring Freedom-era unmanned operations.
Operationally, the platform was associated with clandestine reconnaissance missions over contested territories, paralleling strategic use-profile templates from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve. Published reports and imagery indicated deployments from bases linked to Creech Air Force Base-style UAV operations and forward operating locations in Central Command areas of interest. The platform was attributed to intelligence collection supporting strike planning in coordination with units such as United States Special Operations Command and intelligence consumers across the Department of Defense and civilian agencies. Public scrutiny increased following an event involving recovery in Iran in 2011, which generated diplomatic interactions with the White House and congressional committees overseeing defense and foreign affairs.
Analysts have proposed variants tailored to signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and communications relay roles analogous to derivatives arising from programs like the MQ-9 Reaper upgrades and the EA-18G Growler's electronic suites. Modifications cited in open-source discourse include conformal payload bays, extended-range fuel systems comparable to long-endurance UAV adaptations used by NASA and NOAA research aircraft, and hardened datalinks mirroring secure communications efforts seen in Multi-Modal Sensor initiatives. Proposed export or allied adaptations would likely require certification processes similar to those for platforms supplied under Foreign Military Sales arrangements.
Reported primary operator is the United States Air Force, with mission tasking potentially involving the Central Intelligence Agency and elements of United States Cyber Command for signals and networked operations. Forward deployments and basing inferred from imagery and flight patterns evoke links to installations used by United States Central Command and cooperative sites in partnership with allied services in regions associated with the Coalition forces.
The most notable incident occurred in December 2011 when an example of the type was reported recovered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after an in-flight failure over Iranian airspace. That event prompted statements from the White House and parliamentary deliberations within the Islamic Consultative Assembly as well as assessments by international media outlets and defense analysts. Other reported incidents include mechanical failures, emergency recoveries, and contested overflight claims during operations in proximity to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, echoing earlier controversies from U-2 and RQ-170 Sentinel-related reconnaissance histories.
General characteristics - Crew: Unmanned, ground-based mission operators drawn from United States Air Force units - Length: Classified (public estimates vary) - Wingspan: Classified (public estimates vary) - Powerplant: Single turbofan (estimated; source comparisons to Pratt & Whitney-class engines)
Performance - Service ceiling: High-altitude reconnaissance envelope similar to U-2/RQ-4 Global Hawk class estimates - Endurance: Long-endurance mission profiles reported; specifics classified - Sensors: EO/IR, SIGINT packages, and secure datalinks consistent with intelligence collection needs
Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States Category:Lockheed Martin aircraft