An open-secret American spy plane has broken cover after the US Air Force released photos of its Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA). Built by DZYNE, the semi-classified drone is now confirmed as deployed and active.
The recent unrest in the Middle East, and especially in the Red Sea have been a proving ground for Western military technology, tactics, and policy. The MQ-9 Reapers used for long-range reconnaissance to guard against terrorist attacks on shipping, as well as other on other missions, have been invaluable. Unfortunately, one hard lesson is that the Reaper is vulnerable and at a cost of US$30 million each, there have been a string of very expensive losses to enemy fire.
The reason for this price tag is that the Reaper began life as a ground strike aircraft that was later modified for reconnaissance missions. That's all well and good, but it later turned out that only about one in a hundred missions involved making attacks. Since a one-percent combat rate was a very large redundancy while putting a very expensive air frame at risk, the Air Force needed an alternative. And fast.
Northrop Grumman has released a photo of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) XRQ-73 stealth drone X-plane that it has built for DARPA and is expected to fly by the end of the year.
Part of DARPA's X-Prime program, the XRQ-73A is a demonstrator prototype built by Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites. The flying wing design is based on the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Great Horned Owl (GHO), an Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) program, which used a blended wing design and external ducted push propellers.
In contrast, the XRQ-73A is larger and stealthier. With a wingspan of well over 30 ft (9 m), it weighs in at 1,250 lb (567 kg) and can reach speeds of 250 kn (287 mph, 463 km/h) at an altitude of 18,000 ft (5,500 m) with a payload of 400 lb (180 kg).
Mass Drone Attack On Exposed Russian Bombers Puts Spotlight On Hardened Aircraft Shelter Debate by Joseph Trevithick
June 2, 2025
Conclusion:
(The War Zone) Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian air bases this past weekend can only add to the already intense debate over investments in hardened aircraft shelters and other fortified infrastructure, as well as fuel calls for new counter-drone defenses, in general. The stark reality of what Ukrainian intelligence services have now demonstrated makes clear that uncrewed aerial threats, including to key assets deep inside a country’s national territory, are well past the point of something that can be ignored.
One of the US Air Force's first official combat drones has taken to the air after only a year of building and development. General Atomics's YFQ-42A is currently undergoing flight testing in anticipation of a future fleet of 1,000 autonomous planes
The YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) isn't the only autonomous combat drone in the world under development, but it is the first of two, along with the Anduril YFQ-44A, to be officially accepted as combat aircraft by a major air force. In this case, the designations stand for Y – Prototype, F – Fighter, Q – Unmanned Aircraft, design number 42 and 44, and A – series.
The idea is to create a fleet of autonomous jet-powered Loyal Wingman combat craft with the performance to operate alongside fifth- and sixth-generation fighters, including the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. These aircraft would act as force multipliers that would cost less than crewed fighters, yet would have advanced machine learning for human-machine teaming. With this, the human pilot can concentrate on the mission while the drones fly themselves, even in combat scenarios.
