Military’s Secretive XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Drone Looks Like a B-2

DARPA says experimental uncrewed aircraft made its first flight in California in April.

Jack Daleo

Friday, May 08, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

DARPA’s secretive XRQ-73 hybrid-electric drone, developed by Northrop Grumman, conducts a test flight out of Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) in California. [Credit: Northrop Grumman]

Key Takeaways:

DARPA's experimental hybrid-electric XRQ-73 drone, developed by Northrop Grumman, successfully completed its first flight in April after facing technical delays.
This uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) features a tailless, flying wing design and aims to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and enable stealthier military operations.
The XRQ-73 is part of DARPA's SHEPARD program, with the technologies it validates expected to influence future military aircraft design and propulsion, even if the drone itself doesn't enter service.

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A clandestine, experimental Pentagon drone made its first flight in April after years of preparation, Northrop Grumman and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said Wednesday.

DARPA said that it flew the XRQ-73—a hybrid-electric uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and enable stealthier operations—in April at Edwards Air Force Base (KEDW) in California. The XRQ-73 was first and last seen in 2024, when DARPA gave it a designation and Northrop’s Scaled Composites unit unveiled the design.