USAF reveals existence of new stealth reconnaissance remotely piloted aircraft, the RQ- 170 Sentinel, built by Lockheed Martin and operated by the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron, Tonopah Test Range, Nev. (USAF statement) On Dec. 7, 2009, the Air Force confirms to Air Force Magazine’s Daily Report that the RQ-170 Sentinel is the same mystery aircraft that has been photographed near Kandahar AB, Afghanistan.
Bell Textron has won DARPA's contest for a no-runway, high-speed drone that will prove out technologies useful for special operations forces and possibly the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept. Bell's design converts a tiltrotor to a jet-powered aircraft able to fly at up to 450 knots.