Defense corporation Northrop Grumman (headquartered in the US) has just successfully tested the first flight of the XRQ-73 stealth unmanned aerial vehicle at Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA.
This is a UAV model developed for DARPA within the framework of the four-year SHEPARD program, aimed at testing a new generation hybrid electric motor system for unmanned military aircraft.
According to Northrop Grumman, the test flight focused on evaluating the efficiency of the hybrid-electric engine system, including fuel economy, noise reduction and emission reduction during operation.
The company said that this technology could pave the way for future military aircraft designs with longer flight times and more discreet operating capabilities.
XRQ-73 is designed in a fuselage-wing style, shaped similarly to modern stealth bombers. This design helps reduce radar signal and limit the possibility of being detected when performing reconnaissance or reconnaissance missions.
Many experts commented that the shape of the XRQ-73 is quite similar to the US Air Force's B-21 Raider, although there is currently no official confirmation of the technical relationship between the two projects.
According to published information, the XRQ-73 belongs to the group of medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles with fast deployment capabilities. The aircraft weighs about 567 kg, can reach a maximum speed of about 463 km/h and operates at an altitude of nearly 5,500 meters.
In the development process, Northrop Grumman has utilized many technologies from the previous Great Horned Owl project, which is a program aimed at low-noise reconnaissance platforms with long operating times.
Analysts believe that combining hybrid electric motors with stealth designs can help future UAVs operate more sustainably in reconnaissance missions while maintaining a high level of detection difficulty.
This is also a development direction being pursued by many defense corporations as the demand for secret autonomous systems is increasing.
