Details of a new, large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) for the US Air Force began to appear in early December. Developed by Northrop Grumman, the RQ-180 is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft designed to survive operations in hostile airspace. The UAV is equipped with a suite of active and passive electronic reconnaissance sensors. At least one prototype is understood to have flown, possibly from the Nevada Test and Training Range/Groom Lake (Area 51), where a new large hangar was constructed by mid-2010. The RQ-180 is understood to have entered low rate initial production and could become operational by 2015.
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