DARPA’s XRQ-73 SHEPARD hybrid electric flying wing prototype has taken flight.

DARPA’s XRQ-73 SHEPARD hybrid electric flying wing prototype has taken flight.

Designed by Northrop Grumman and subsidiary Scaled Composites, the unmanned XRQ-73 features an ultra-quiet propulsion system powered by electricity from a gas turbine.

The XRQ-73’s first flight, which took off from Edwards Air Force Base in April 2026, was praised by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as “a step forward demonstrating the military utility of hybrid electric propulsion.” The aircraft is the result of the agency’s Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) program, which is based on the secretive XRQ-72 Great Horned Owl project.

Data contained in the released images suggests that the aircraft’s first flight took place on April 14, 2026.

According to Northrop Grumman, the aircraft weighs approximately 555 kg and is designated a Group 3 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) under the U.S. Department of Defense classification system. It is in the same category as the RQ-21 Blackjack and RQ-7B Shadow and has altitude performance up to approximately 18,000 feet and speeds up to 250 knots.

Initial plans called for the XRQ-73’s first flight to take place in 2024. The exact nature of the delay is unclear, but this milestone was clearly missed. Much about the SHEPARD program remains private, perhaps to some extent evidenced by the news that it is only being revealed weeks after the first flight actually took place.

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DARPA’s XRQ-73 SHEPARD hybrid electric experimental aircraft takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California. (Image source: Northrop Grumman)

“This milestone is not just about a single flight,” said Lt. Col. Clark McGehee, SHEPARD program manager. “The architecture demonstrated by the XRQ-73 paves the way for new types of mission systems and delivery effectiveness. We look forward to advancing this technology through our flight test program and delivering new capabilities to the warfighter.”

Since we first saw the XRQ-73 design in July 2024, the aircraft appears to have received several design changes. Most notable is that vertical stabilizers are now mounted on each wingtip. It is unknown whether this is a permanent fixture or not. New air intakes appeared on the top of the aircraft, along with some blade antennas. Between the two main intakes you can see a new device fitted that looks like a forward facing hole. This may be for cameras or other visual systems to help control the aircraft.

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Close-up of the XRQ-73’s wings and new vertical surfaces. (Image source: Northrop Grumman)

The large fairing on the underside of the aircraft remains, and is likely designed to accommodate whatever payload it is expected to carry. Although it has not yet been revealed, it is almost certain that it will be some form of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment. The stealthy flying wing design combined with a quiet, low-thermal electric propulsion system makes it suitable for covert ISR activities at lower altitudes than platforms such as the ‘RQ-180’.

You can also see the black devices covering the wing surfaces. This is a simple airflow indicator and will likely be removed at some point during the aircraft flight test program once all relevant data has been collected.

Interestingly, the now-released official photos of the SHEPARD aircraft show it resting on a dry lake bed at Edwards AFB rather than on a runway, taxiway, or apron. The dry lake, officially Rogers Dry Lake, serves as a significant extension of the traditional runway surface at Edwards AFB and has been used by the Space Shuttle, X-15, and various other aircraft during testing or during emergency situations.

As a relatively secretive program, further flight testing of this latest ‘X-plane’ is likely to proceed without much public interest.

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