FIELD GUIDE / DRONE ATLAS / 01
High-altitude reconnaissance · Reusable · reconnaissance
Also known as: Northrop Grumman RQ-180
RQ-180 is the name used in Aviation Week reporting for a classified Northrop Grumman reconnaissance aircraft. IAI also describes reported US Air Force operation. These are attributed reports. Publicly verified dimensions, performance and service status are not established in the reviewed record.[1][2]
No scaled drawing is provided for this configuration. See the sourced dimensions and their limitations.
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
Intervals preserve the published bounds; they are not statistical confidence intervals. A blank lower or upper bound stays open. Values belong to the named configuration, not every aircraft.
Body length | Not publicly established |
|---|---|
Wingspan | Not publicly established |
Take-off mass | Not publicly established |
Reported speed | Not publicly established |
Published flight range | Not publicly established |
Endurance | Not publicly established |
Payload | Not publicly established |
Engine / propulsion | Not publicly established |
Guidance / control link | Not publicly established |
First flight / first reported use | Not publicly established |
Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman, as attributed by Aviation Week.[1] |
Operators | US Air Force, reported by IAI; official confirmation is not established here.[2] |
Catalogue attribution: Northrop Grumman (attributed by Aviation Week). aviationweek.com · www.iai.it
Body length: Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Wingspan: Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Not publicly established in the reviewed sources.
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
RQ-180 is the name used in Aviation Week reporting for a classified Northrop Grumman reconnaissance aircraft. IAI also describes reported US Air Force operation. These are attributed reports. Publicly verified dimensions, performance and service status are not established in the reviewed record. Aviation Week · Istituto Affari Internazionali
No scaled drawing is provided for this configuration. See the sourced dimensions and their limitations.
No scaled drawing is provided for this configuration. See the sourced dimensions and their limitations.
No scaled drawing is provided for this configuration. See the sourced dimensions and their limitations.
Human height is an illustrative 1.8 m; bus length an illustrative 12 m. Car length uses the cited MINI specification. Vehicle heights and drone side contours are schematic. Top views preserve published length and span; an absent dimension is never guessed.
One car length here is 3.821 m: MINI Cooper 3 door, March 2020 specification.
Not yet named as a model in this archive — sources usually say only “drone” or name the family.
Counts follow model/family links in the archive. A general register link does not identify a model.
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
RQ-180 (reported programme)
No sourced family relationship recorded in this edition. Similar roles do not establish a common design.
Shape or sound alone cannot identify a drone. Follow local public-safety alerts; do not approach wreckage.
No licensed, model-attested recording is available in our sound library.
Published USD figures use different price bases and years. Airframes, export packages and support are not equivalent. These are not current offers or verified production costs.
Unknown in reviewed sources
No type-specific, independently supported summary is included in this edition.
31 Dec 2013 · Source consulted: 08 Nov 2026 · Firsthand reporting
Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 08 Nov 2026 · Approximate / analyst compilation
DroneLedger. RQ-180 (reported programme). Research edition 2026-11-08. https://droneincidents.com/drones/rq-180/