Summary
- Secretary of the Air Force hinted at a potential secret spy plane.
- The future ISR layer may include more than the E-7 and undisclosed space-based capabilities.
- Past examples of secretive aircraft like the F-117 Nighthawk show a history of US Air Force secrecy.
Does the US have a secret spy plane? This intriguing question has no definite answer for the general public. The War Zone recently suggested that Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall hinted at the existence of such a platform. The belief in a secret spy plane has continued for many years. One notable aircraft some think could exist is the so-called SR-91 Aurora, which was supposedly built in the 1980s. The government has denied its existence, and there is nothing more than circumstantial evidence to suggest it ever existed.
A possible hint
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was questioned by reporters at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. They asked him about the Air Force’s plan for airborne ISR as the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane and the RQ-4 Global Hawk are retired.
Photo: DARPA
The last U2s will be retired in 2026, while the RQ-4s will follow in 2027. These retirements come as the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System has already been withdrawn. Kendall’s answer included saying that the future ISR layer will be “a combination of things.”
Kendall singled out the new E-7 and unmanned “space-based capabilities” as making up the “combination of things,” adding, “There’s not much I can say about them.” Still, this led some analysts to conjecture that there could be a secret system in there as well.
What a secret ISR platform could be
Should the rumored spy plane exist, it is thought that it could be a very stealthy, long-range, high-altitude surveillance drone. One secretive drone is called the RQ-180. The RQ-180 is believed to have been developed to fill a void left by the retirement of the SR-71. It should be noted that no images or statements of the RQ-180 have been released. The RQ-170 is an example of a secret ISR stealth drone known to exist (one was downed by Iran, who are believed to have then reverse-engineered it).
Photo: PJSAero | Shutterstock
The Air Force is known to be working on a number of stealth UAVs – some more secret than others. For example, a photo of the stealthy XRQ-73 in development has recently been released. However, there doesn’t need to be just one secretive ISR platform (manned or unmanned); there could be other classified systems in the US Air Force arsenal. Only time will tell.
Related
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Past secret Air Force aircraft
Without venturing into the conspiracy world, it can be noted that the US has a history of building and operating aircraft in secret. One famous example is the now-supposedly retired F-117 Nighthawk. It first flew in 1981, entered service in 1983, and was denied to exist by US officials until 1988 when it was publically acknowledged.
Photo: USAF
A number of other planes, including the U2 Dragon Lady and the SR-71 Blackbird, were developed as Black Projects by Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works. Some aircraft are known to be in development, but few particulars are known about them (such as the B-21 Raider, now in low-rate production).