from Great Game India:
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at the existence of a mysterious new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, sparking speculation about the long-rumored stealth drone, the RQ-180. While Kendall didn’t provide explicit details, his comments suggest a mix of advanced systems, including space-based and high-altitude platforms, are in the works to replace older models like the U-2 and RQ-4. This revelation points to a future where the Air Force employs cutting-edge, resilient technologies to gather critical intelligence, keeping adversaries in the dark and maintaining a strategic edge.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
The future of U.S. Air Force capabilities has long been a matter of concern, and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has alluded to the possibility of a new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. Usually, this kind of platform is thought to be a very covert, long-range, high-altitude surveillance drone, also known as the RQ-180. However, there are other options as well, and even an RQ-180 would be just one component of a more extensive constellation of next-generation ISR systems.
At the top of this post is a hypothetical rendering of what the RQ-180 stealth drone, which is capable of long and high flights, would look like. There is no assurance that the Air Force will continue to support a system like the RQ-180, even if it has been generally suggested that it or its ancestors have been flying for years and may still be in use, if only partially. This is particularly relevant given the DoD’s growing preference for space-based distributed constellations. They provide continuous target area monitoring that was previously unattainable with low-Earth orbit-based sensing systems, and they are incredibly resistant to attacks. One such program is indeed well underway for development and seems to be geared toward accomplishing at least some of the tasks that a hypothetical RQ-180 would probably be assigned to perform. To put it another way, the existence of an aircraft similar to the RQ-180 does not ensure its future.
Read More @ GreatGameIndia.com
