The RQ-3 DarkStar (known as Tier III- or "Tier three minus" during development) is an
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
(UAV). Its first flight was on March 29, 1996. The Department of Defense terminated DarkStar in January 1999, after determining the UAV was not aerodynamically stable and was not meeting cost and performance objectives.
Design and development
The RQ-3 DarkStar was designed as a "
high-altitude endurance UAV", and incorporated
stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 N ...
technology to make it difficult to detect, which allowed it to operate within heavily defended airspace, unlike the
Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, which is unable to operate except under conditions of
air supremacy. The DarkStar was fully autonomous: it could take off, fly to its target, operate its sensors, transmit information, return and land without human intervention. Human operators, however, could change the DarkStar's flight plan and sensor orientation through radio or satellite relay. The RQ-3 carried either an optical sensor or radar, and could send digital information to a satellite while still in flight. It used a single
airbreathing jet engine
An airbreathing jet engine (or ''ducted jet engine'') is a jet engine that ejects a propelling (reaction) jet of hot exhaust gases after first taking in atmospheric air, followed by compression, heating and expansion back to atmospheric pressure ...
of unknown type for propulsion. One source claims it used a
Williams-Rolls-Royce FJ44-1A turbofan engine.
The first prototype made its first flight on March 29, 1996, but its second flight, on April 22, 1996, ended in a crash shortly after takeoff. A modified, more stable design (the RQ-3A) first flew on June 29, 1998, and made a total of five flights before the program was canceled just prior to the sixth and final flight planned for the airworthiness test phase. Two additional RQ-3As were built, but never made any flights before program cancellation.
Although the RQ-3 was terminated on January 28, 1999, a July 2003 ''Aviation Week and Space Technology'' article reported that April 2003 that
a derivative of the RQ-3 had been used in the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
. There has been no independent confirmation.
The "R" is the Department of Defense designation for reconnaissance; "Q" means unmanned aircraft system. The "3" refers to it being the third of a series of purpose-built unmanned reconnaissance aircraft systems.
Survivors
*The second RQ-3A (A/V #2) is at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force at
Wright-Patterson AFB
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...
in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. Although part of the Museum's Research & Development Gallery, it is displayed hanging over the
C-130E
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
in Building 4's Global Reach Gallery.
*The third RQ-3A (A/V #3) is on display in the Great Gallery of the
Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
*The fourth RQ-3A (which never flew before the program ended) is held by the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
in Washington, D.C., but is not on display.
Specifications
See also
Sources
* Specifications and second and third paragraphs: Display information on exhibit at
Museum of Flight in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, United States.
References
External links
DarkStar Tier III- from NASA Dryden Flight Center
{{Lockheed Martin aircraft
Q-003
1990s United States military reconnaissance aircraft
Unmanned military aircraft of the United States
Single-engined jet aircraft
Tailless aircraft
Unmanned stealth aircraft
Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States
Aircraft first flown in 1996
High-altitude and long endurance aircraft