RQ-170: The Air Force’s secret ‘Beast of Kandahar’
Alex Hollings | August 12, 2020
The United States Air Force has been flying the RQ-170 Sentinel over combat zones since 2005, but details about this secretive aircraft are still rather sparse. Developed by the legendary Skunk Works out of Lockheed Martin, the RQ-170 is believed to be a high-altitude and stealthy reconnaissance platform, and likely even played a role in the 2011 operation that killed infamous terror leader Osama Bin Laden.
Despite the high profile of some of its missions, this drone itself has maintained a very low profile over the years — and it would be hard to argue that its secrecy isn’t by design. Like the F-117 Nighthawk, another Skunk Works design that first propelled the world into the era of stealth, the RQ-170’s most potent weapon may just be the shadow of uncertainty that surrounds it.
While likely not as stealthy as the larger B-2 Spirit it resembles, the RQ-170 does have stealth characteristics, and is likely covered in radar-absorbent coating, giving it the ability to operate in contested airspace while conducting its secret missions.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/rq-170-the-air-forces-secret-beast-of-kandahar/