History
The US Air Force and the Pentagon have been pursuing their drone development program since 1995, the most prominent drone series being the Predator series (A, B & C). Today, it is a full-fledged operation. One of the latest projects now being pursued is the US Air Force’s RQ-170 Sentinel Drone, manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The US Air Force has not released much information about this drone. However, this US drone is known to be a stealth aircraft, fitted with reconnaissance equipment for the purpose of gathering data from non-cooperative countries such as Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. It is being used since 2011, when it was launched during the ongoing war in Afghanistan, called “Operation Enduring Freedom”.
It is also worthwhile to note that this US drone was used quite effectively for tracking down Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. The system is believed to have been set up in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad where the terrorist was believed to have been hiding, in a heavily guarded compound, with the full knowledge of the Pakistani authorities. It was through the data fed to the Navy SEALs from the Sentinel system that they were able to penetrate the compound and terminate this dreaded terrorist on the spot.
The RQ-170 Sentinel has also been used in South Korean airspace, which would have been obviously for the purpose of spying on activities in North Korea.
Duplication of the Sentinel
In December 2011, an RQ-170 Sentinel was sent into Iran on a reconnaissance mission. The Iranian armed forces intercepted the drone and hacked into its navigation systems, managing to capture it. They claimed that they had been able to duplicate it by decoding the software and using reverse engineering. Although, the claims were stated as being fake by a former Pentagon official, the Iranians stuck to their story and showed video footage of the drone.
The landing gear, however, was covered by a banner stating, “We’ll trample America underfoot” and “the US cannot do a damn thing.”
The RQ-170 Sentinel has also been copied by the Chinese who released pictures of the copied drone along with some other aircraft.
Specifications
The specifications the US drone described here are not official, as there are no official documents available, due to the highly classified nature of the RQ-170 Sentinel project, as it is being kept under wraps by the CIA and the Pentagon. However, what has been reproduced here, are as accurately-possible facts, which should give a fair picture about the Sentinel and its capabilities.
The RQ-170 Sentinel by Lockheed Martin is a rather new addition to the United States Air Force’s fleet of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). It is a stealth vehicle, which is supposed to be a cost-effective drone with added qualities put on to existing design features. The purpose of the Sentinel is for surveillance and reconnaissance of enemy territories from a high altitude. The drone is mostly connected to CIA missions, which is the reason most of the information on it remains classified by the Pentagon and unavailable to the general public.
Looks-wise, the Sentinel is more of wing, with less of vertical tail surfaces. The wing structures are swept towards the rear of the aircraft, giving it the appearance of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. It is powered by a single General Electric TF34 series turbofan engine. The payload region is also located in the central area. The abundant wings serve the purpose of offering extra fuel storage. The undercarriage is in a regular tricycle configuration with two main landing wheels and a single landing gear in the nose section.
The aircraft is equipped with a full suite of cameras and sensors. There are full motion real-time cameras and radioactive isotope-detecting sensors for locating nuclear material. It is assumed that the drone is also armed with missiles, in the same way that the Predator is. It is also understood to have the latest infra-red and other optical devices fitted.
The maximum altitude observed by this drone is at least 50,000 feet. The wingspan is estimated at 26 meters, with a height of 1.84 meters and a length of 4.5 meters.
Future Prospects of the Sentinel
It would seem that the Sentinel has had a rather big setback with the copying of its design by the Iranians. Although there is no information forthcoming from the Department of Defense, the Pentagon, US Air Force or the CIA, there is no dearth of information emanating from Iran regarding the Sentinel and future plans. RT.com News published an article in May 2014 quotes a statement made by Iranian leaders who said that their engineers have managed to decode the drone’s technology and copy it. There will soon be a test flight, they promised.
From what we see, the RQ-170 Sentinel is definitely here to stay, but if the US military is to keep the technology to itself, it is going to have to figure out how to keep its classified secrets from falling into enemy hands, as has been the case in the recent past.
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