DARPA’s unmanned hybrid-electric XRQ-73 aircraft set to take off by the end of 2024

News, US July 17, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. defense firm Northrop Grumman has announced the design and construction of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS). The aircraft is expected to make its flight by the end of 2024.

The uncrewed air system is being developed for U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The aircraft recently received its official X-plane designation of XRQ-73.

The XRQ-73 SHEPARD is a DARPA “X-prime” program, built by Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary Scaled Composites.

According to the DARPA statement, the program is “leveraging hybrid electric architecture and component technologies from the earlier AFRL/IARPA Great Horned Owl (GHO) project” to quickly mature a new mission-focused aircraft design with propulsion architecture and power class for the Department of Defense.

The XRQ-73 SHEPARD uses advanced technologies and the hybrid electric system converts fuel to electric power. The aircraft will be a Group 3 uncrewed aircraft system weighing approximately 1250 pounds (about 567 kg).

The DARPA team includes members from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and warfighters. The program is build upon hybrid technologies and other components developed the AFRL and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The SHEPARD vehicle will have an “operationally representative fuel fraction and mission systems, while staying below the Group 3 UAS weight limit,” DARPA said. It highlighted that the XRQ-73 aircraft could be “rapidly fieldable.”

XRQ-73 SHEPARD X-Plane — *^{An artist’s concept of the Northrop Grumman/Scaled Composites XQR-73 SHEPARD uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft. (Image Credit: DARPA/IRIA)}*

SHEPARD program manager Steve Komadina explained, “The idea behind a DARPA X-prime program is to take emerging technologies and burn down system-level integration risks to quickly mature a new missionized long endurance aircraft design that can be fielded quickly.”

Steve Komadina further highlighted that “The SHEPARD program is maturing a specific propulsion architecture and power class as an exemplar of potential benefits for the Department of Defense.”