- A photograph appears to show a plane flying over Edwards Air Force base that's unlike any aircraft publicly acknowledged by the U.S. Air Force.
- The aircraft appears similar to the RQ-180, a high-altitude spy drone.
- The RQ-180’s existence has never been confirmed by the U.S. Air Force.
A photo of what could very well be the Air Force’s shadowy RQ-180 spy drone recently appeared—and disappeared—from Instagram.
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The image (above) depicts a flying wing-shaped aircraft leaving a contrail in its wake. An observer reportedly took the photo while the aircraft was over the Military Operating Area at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
According to Aviation Week & Space Technology, the aircraft “was flying in a racetrack pattern at an estimated altitude of 20,000 [feet].”
The photo, along with a magnified version of the image, appeared on Instagram. The post was later taken down, but archived and reposted on Twitter, as seen above. “Until I dot the 'I's and cross the 'T's!!”, Rob Kolinsky (@sundownerstudios) wrote, “then the picture will return!”
The mystery aircraft, as Kolinsky points out, does indeed look like the new B-21 Raider bomber. The B-21 Raider is a new strategic bomber under development by Northrop Grumman.
The B-21 will eventually replace the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers (but not the B-52) in Air Force service. The first aircraft is reportedly under construction and won’t fly until 2022.
So, what is this thing? Aviation Week & Space Technology believes the aircraft looks like the RQ-180, a high-altitude, stealthy, uncrewed aerial vehicle operated by the Air Force. The RQ-180 is reportedly a long-endurance drone designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions against targets guarded by modern air defense forces. The drone is thought to be a twin-engine, unarmed, uncrewed aircraft that utilizes a flying wing design to minimize radar return.
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The U.S. Military currently operates the RQ-4 Global Hawk for high-altitude reconnaissance missions, but the plane lacks the stealth to allow it to operate near modern air defenses. In June 2019, Iran—not exactly a giant in the world of air defense—shot down an RQ-4 in the Strait of Hormuz. It was a wakeup call for a Pentagon that relies on persistent surveillance of adversaries as an early warning system.
The Air Force has never publicly acknowledged the RQ-180’s existence. In early 2020, the service sought early retirement for more than two thirds of the 35-strong RQ-4 Global Hawk fleet. This is a curious decision considering the platform is relatively young, with the average age being less than 10 years. It’s not so curious, however, if there’s a newer, stealthier replacement for the giant drone already flying.
In 2019, AW&ST reported the RQ-180 was operational at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California. Beale, home to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and its RQ-4 Global Hawks and U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy planes, is a logical place to base the RQ-180. The drone is described as having a wingspan of 172 feet, much larger than a Boeing 737’s wingspan of 117 feet, with antennas built into the wings.
AW&ST says the RQ-180’s nickname at Edwards is the Great White Bat, owing to its batlike wings and white painted appearance. Another, more whimsical nickname is “Shikaka,” a white bat with unusual guano from Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
