US Air Force tests secret spy drone
Iran Press TV
Sat Dec 7, 2013 10:55AM GMT
The US Air Force has tested a top secret spy drone which can be used in spying and electronic attack operations in "denied" airspace.
The program for building the new spy drone, dubbed the RQ-180, was funded through the Air Force's classified budget, reported Aviation Week on Friday.
The drone is expected to enter production and be operational by 2015. It is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes and can even be used in electronic attack missions.
According to Aviation Week, the RQ-180 is expected to be jointly controlled by the US Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency, which means the use of such drones could be shrouded in utmost secrecy.
Once the new spy drone is in operation, the US military and the CIA will also be able to conduct operations not only in "permissive" areas, like Iraq and Afghanistan where the Global Hawk drones and General Atomics Reaper drones operate, but also in "contested" or "denied" airspace.
The RQ-180 was developed by Northrop Grumman, which apparently began working on it in 2008 when the company revealed an increase of $2 billion in its order portfolio.
The US Air Force tested the new drone at its Area 51 in the state of Nevada, which is known as the service's most secure operating base.
Both the US military and Northrop Grumman have refused to speak about the classified drone.
"The Air Force does not discuss this program," Aviation Week quoted US Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy as saying.
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