The Northrop Grumman RQ-180 is a classified American stealth unmanned aerial vehicle believed to be designed for penetrating intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in contested airspace. Its existence has never been officially confirmed by the US Air Force, and virtually all published specifications are unconfirmed estimates drawn from analyst reporting, chiefly Aviation Week. The program reportedly followed the 1999 retirement of the SR-71 Blackbird, with Northrop Grumman said to have won a development contract around 2008 after competing against Boeing and Lockheed Martin. A large stealthy flying-wing (cranked-kite) planform is believed to give it a wingspan of roughly 40 m, an estimated endurance near 24 hours, a range on the order of 22,000 km and a service ceiling around 18,000 m. It reportedly first flew in 2010 and may have entered limited service around 2015-2017. Reported operating units include the 74th Reconnaissance and 417th Test and Evaluation Squadrons.
