Forum: Drones

Updated December 09, 2009
U.S. Air Force Confirms 'Beast of Kandahar' Secret Stealth Drone Plane
By Gene Koprowski
- FOXNews.com

The U.S. Air Force has acknowledged a new, unmanned drone plane with a sleek, stealth design that will be deployed for military reconnaissance and surveillance missions.

The U.S. Air Force has acknowledged that it is developing and testing a new, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — a drone with a sleek, stealth design that will be deployed for military reconnaissance and surveillance missions.

Aeronautics fans have nicknamed the aircraft "The Beast of Kandahar," as it was apparently spotted over the skies of Afghanistan. Industry observers speculate it is sophisticated enough to gather aerial intelligence over Iran without detection, perhaps keeping track of the Islamic Republic's emerging nuclear program.

"The RQ-170 Sentinel, a low observable UAV, was built by Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs," Major Cristin L. Marposon, a public affairs officer for the USAF at the Pentagon, told FoxNews.com.


"The fielding of the RQ-170 aligns with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates' request for increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to the combatant commanders, as well as Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz's vision for an increased USAF reliance on unmanned aircraft," Marposon said.