The "RQ" designation is used for unarmed drones, such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk.
Images show Iranian military officials inspecting the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which appears to be undamaged.
The drones used in the experimental flights were modified RQ-4 Global Hawk planes, which are generally used for surveillance.
The U.S. has flown missions with the RQ-170 Sentinel from bases in Afghanistan, but most of its capabilities remain classified.
The RQ-170 Sentinel is an advanced high-altitude surveillance drone used by both the US Air Force and the CIA. It does not carry weapons.
The black and white aerial footage, Iran claims was from a RQ-170 spy plane, was aired by Iranian news agencies and placed on YouTube.
The basic RQ-4A Global Hawk UAV, manufactured for the U.S. Air Force by Northrop-Grumman, is the largest and most advanced drone in the U.S. military, according to the Navy.
In early 2003, CNN reported that nearly half the U.S. Air Force's fleet of RQ-1 Predators were shot down or crashed, according to Air Force officials and military records.
If the drone that went down is an RQ-170, and if it is largely, or partially, intact, it is possible that the technological secrets of the advanced aircraft could be compromised.
The RQ-4A Global Hawk drone crashed during a routine training flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, according to Jamie Cosgrove, a spokeswoman for the Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons Program at the base.
The RQ-170 Sentinel was the type of stealth drone used to conduct surveillance on the compound used by Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, before the May raid by Navy SEAL commandos that killed the al Qaeda leader.
应用推荐