The US Air Force showed its analogue of the Russian "Hunter"

Information has appeared in the American media about the development by the Pentagon of a high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (High Altitude, Long Endurance - HALE) RQ-180 White Bat (“White Bat”). According to The Drive, this drone has already been tested in the skies over California and Nevada and in the Philippines, so the official presentation of the drone may soon take place.

The UAV is featured in a video titled "Legacy Today - ISR and Innovation" with a brief overview of the USAF's progress in Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) over the past decades.




It is likely that the real RQ-180 will look different, since this is a classified project, and the public should not see the actual exterior of the future combat aircraft.

It is not yet known when the US Air Force will openly discuss the RQ-180 White Bat program. According to The Drive, this project is associated with the production of a promising new generation of American strategic bomber B-21 Raider. With the release of the B-21 just around the corner, more information about the White Bat will soon be available.

Apparently, the RQ-180 White Bat will be a response to a similar Russian development by the Sukhoi company - the Okhotnik heavy attack drone. Back in August last year, the head of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yuri Slyusar, noted that the Russian military department would begin receiving serial UAVs from 2024.