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Beast of Kandahar, RQ-170 Aircraft, Confirmed to be Flying

by Amy Judd | December 8, 2009 at 07:58 pm

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The US Air Force today has confirmed that the aircraft they call the Beast of Kandahar, the RQ-170 Sentinel, is flying for them after being spotted in a number of photos but having been shrouded in secrecy. See some photos of the Beast of Kandahar.

The Beast of Kandahar is a stealth, unmanned aircraft, being developed by Lockheed Martin and is

designed "to provide reconnaissance and surveillance support to forward deployed combat forces,"

The RQ in front of the 170 means that the aircraft is an unarmed drone and it is called the Beast of Kandahar because when photographs first emerged of the craft in 2007, they were taken in Afghanistan.

The image suggested a drone with a radar-evading stealth-like design, resembling a smaller version of a B-2 bomber.

The RQ-170 came from Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, or Advanced Development Programs, where planes such as the U-2 spy plane and the F-117 Nighthawk have come from.

The photo of the drone in Afghanistan has raised questions about why the United States would be operating a stealth unmanned aircraft in a country where insurgents have no radar systems, prompting speculation Washington was using the drones for possible spying missions in neighboring Iran or Pakistan.

These unmanned systems are becoming more popular and are reported to be deployed by the thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan that search for traps and fire missiles without the direct danger to US soldiers.

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Steve Douglass (not verified)

at 20:55 on December 8th, 2009

As for why would the USAf need to use a stealthy aircraft over Afghanistan which has no radar?Pakistan has radar and isn't very keen on granting overflight rights to U.S. recon aircraft since some in the Pak government may be sympathetic to the Taliban.The Pakistani military would never know it was there - and thus corrupt Pakistani government officials couldn't warn the Taliban and especially sources close to Osama Bin Laden that they were being monitored. Thanks for the link!-Steve Douglass

Hugh Askew

at 04:48 on December 9th, 2009

From Aviation Week:

“It’s still far from a production aircraft, but the Air Force wanted to go ahead and get it out there.”

Has the capability to loiter for over eight hours at 50,000 ft.

"...recent revelations also reflect the battle to balance how the military wants to fight now in Afghanistan against how it wants to fight elsewhere in the future. Part of the test will come in the next 18 months as U.S. and allied troops try to break the offensive capabilities of the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and new technologies will be brought into play. "

In other words, they are using it for the current battle, and as a proving ground for future conflicts.