An XRQ-73 prototype drone flies over the desert in southern California. The XRQ-73 is hybrid-powered, extending its range and making it more difficult to detect and target. (Courtesy of Northrop Grumman)

There’s Something Way Different About the XRQ-73 Drone

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The XRQ-73, which conducted its first flight last month, has an unusual hybrid propulsion system—theoretically extending its range while also giving it quieter operation than most conventional drones.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced earlier in the week that its XRQ-73 drone successfully completed its first flight in April at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. The XRQ-73, part of the SHEPARD (Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration) program, validates the architecture of hybrid-electric propulsion.

Introducing the XRQ-73 Drone

The XRQ-73 is a flying-wing uncrewed aircraft built by aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary Scaled Composites. Though much remains unknown about its details, it is classified as a “Group 3” UAS—the largest and most expensive classification of drones in the US arsenal. Some hints at its design could come from the XRQ-72A,........

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