UAV · Stealth ISR UAV
RQ-170 Sentinel
Lockheed Martin · United States
Stealth flying-wing reconnaissance UAV ('Beast of Kandahar') developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for low-observable ISR; most specs remain classified.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Subcategory | Fixed-wing |
| Price | ~$12M cited (CSV); not officially confirmed (classified). |
| Subtype | Stealth ISR UAV |
| Role | Stealth strategic reconnaissance |
| Class | US Group 5 |
| Classification | Unarmed low-observable reconnaissance UAS |
| Mission | ISR, SIGINT |
| Datalink | SATCOM and LOS (classified) |
| Variants | RQ-170 |
| Notable partners | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works |
| Operators | USAF (and reportedly CIA) |
| Frame type | Flying wing |
| Length (m) | 4.5 |
| Propulsion | Turbofan |
| Wingspan (m) | 20 |
| Combat-proven | Yes |
| Export status | Not exported |
| Autonomy level | Autonomous |
| Year introduced | 2007 |
| Standard sensors | EO/IR, Possible AESA radar, SIGINT/COMINT |
| Production status | Operational (limited fleet) |
| Notable engagements | ISR during 2011 bin Laden raid; one example captured by Iran 5 Dec 2011 |
| Conflicts deployed in | Afghanistan; Iran ISR overflights |
| Airframe / lift type | Fixed-wing |
| Control / autonomy level | Fully autonomous (human-off-the-loop, AI-navigated), RC line-of-sight – BVLOS |
| Domain | Aerial (UAV/UAS) |
| Mission / use case – military | EW / decoy, ISR |
| Origin / supply chain | Military-grade |
| Propulsion | Turbine / jet |
| Signature / detectability | RF-emitting |
| Threat vector | Surveillance / reconnaissance |
| Weight / class | Class III – MALE (>600 kg) |
In the news 4
New Details About Secretive RQ-170 Sentinel Drone Squadron Shared With New AwardIran likely to reverse-engineer captured US underwater droneEverything We Know About The U.S. Navy’s Submersible Drone Iran Just CapturedRight sized for the fight, smaller Group 2 drones are solving for the limitations of larger UAS
From uav360.xyz, the xSonomy news feed. Headlines link to the original publisher.
Review-stage catalogue data — specs corroborated from manufacturer and secondary sources; not for procurement decisions. Source: www.lockheedmartin.com