RQ-170 Sentinel

RQ-170 Sentinel Latest News

A rare U.S. Air Force RQ-170 “Sentinel” stealth surveillance drone was recently spotted returning to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in eastern Puerto Rico, following U.S. military strikes conducted overnight against targets in Venezuela.

About RQ-170 Sentinel

• It is an American high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
• It was designed and manufactured by Skunk Works, a division of Lockheed Martin (an American defense and aerospace manufacturer), for the United States Air Force (USAF).
• It is designed to execute intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) and electronic warfare missions over a target area. 
• The aircraft entered service in the mid-2000s and has previously been associated with U.S. operations in the Middle East and Asia.

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RQ-170 Sentinel Features

• It has a wingspan of 20 m and a length of 4.5 m.
• It features a flying-wing design optimized for reduced radar visibility and long-endurance flights. 
• It features a blended fuselage, pointed nose, and tricycle-type landing gear.
• An electro-optic camera was incorporated beneath the front fuselage section to seize real-time imagery or videos of the battlefield it is surveying.
• It can capture real-time imagery of the battlefield and transfer the data to the ground control station (GCS) through a line of sight (LOS) communication data link.
• It is fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, synthetic aperture radar, and signal intelligence in its belly fairings.
• About 90% of the aircraft is made up of composite materials to decrease its overall weight.

Source: DB