Summary
- DARPA’s XRQ-73 is a hybrid electric drone with stealth capabilities.
- Developed by Northrop Grumman, it’s part of the SHEPARD program for quick production of new long-endurance drones.
- The XRQ-73’s design suggests it’s ultra-quiet, highly efficient, and may be used for ISR missions.
The race is on to build many different types of spy drones, and now the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has revealed the official X-plane designation of a new drone—the XRQ-73. This hybrid electric drone is stealthy and secretive. The DARPA released a rendering of the XRQ-73 flying (the drone in the image could be an actual picture photoshopped onto a rendered background). The XRQ-73 is just one of many experimental UAV X-planes being developed by DARPA.
DARPA reveals new secretive XRQ-73 drone
The XRQ-73 is the experiment drone of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration program (called SHEPARD) being designed by Northrop Grumman. The program leverages hybrid electric architecture and some component technologies from the earlier AFRL/IARPA Great Horned Owl project. The experimental drone is expected to take flight by the end of 2024.
“The idea behind a DARPA X-prime program is to take emerging technologies and burn down system-level integration risks to quickly mature a new missionized long endurance aircraft design that can be fielded quickly. The SHEPARD program is maturing a specific propulsion architecture and power class as an exemplar of potential benefits for the Department of Defense.” – Steve Komadina, SHEPARD program manager
The program seeks to work with emerging technologies and facilitate the production of mature, new, long-endurance drones quickly. The War Zone notes that the design suggests that the drone will be ultra-quiet and highly efficient. As the Air Force prepares to retire its aging but iconic U-2 Spy Planes, the next generation of spy aircraft is beginning to take shape.
The primary contractor is Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary Scaled Composites (noted for producing advanced and novel drone designs). Other subcontractors include Cornerstone Research Group, Brayton Energy, PC Krause and Associates, and Eagle Picher Technologies.
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What can be gleaned from the XRQ-73
The XRQ-73’s shape appears similar to other secretive drone designs, such as Skunk Work’s X-44A, P-175 Polecat, and RQ-170 Sentinel, as well as the speculated shape of Northrop Grumman’s mysterious RQ-180 (no images have been released of the RQ-180).
One notable feature of the XRQ-73 is that it has four separate intakes. However, little about the drone and its propulsion is known (other than its hybrid-electric nature). Being a hybrid allows the drone to fly quietly and more efficiently.
While DARPA doesn’t state the XRQ-73’s intended missions, the “RQ” designation suggests ISR missions. The drone’s performance is still unknown, but the DAPRA states the XRQ-73 will be a Group 3 UAS weighing around 1,250 lbs. As a Group 3 UAS, it would have a top speed of between 100 and 250 knots, although the flight altitude in the class ranges from 3,500 to 180,000 feet. The drone will be large and likely have a larger than 30-foot wingspan.