The aircraft is currently flying at Area 51 in the Nevada desert and will become operational by 2015.

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2013 -- In an exclusive cover story, Penton's Aviation Week, the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, reveals details about a highly classified intelligence and reconnaissance stealth unmanned aircraft, the RQ-180, that has been developed in secret. The aircraft is currently flying at Area 51 in the Nevada desert and will become operational by 2015.

The U.S. Air Force has long debated how to conduct penetrating intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. But despite the need and a lingering requirement, no visible progress toward that goal was made - because the highly classified RQ-180 had been developed in secret by Northrop Grumman.

The December 9th article written by Senior Pentagon Editor, Amy Butler, and Senior International Defense Editor, Bill Sweetman, details how the RQ-180 was designed to help the Air Force travel where other unmanned aircraft have failed to fly - deep into heavily defended airspace. The article provides some details about the technology that allows it to maintain stealth and explains how the unmanned aerial system fits into the Air Force's family of aircrafts.

The piece is available on AviationWeek.com. Follow Aviation Week on Twitter and Facebook.

About Aviation Week
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