Creating Covert, Long-Distance Stealth Operative Drone Dubbed "GHOST" by General Atomics
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded General Atomics a $99.3 million contract for the development of a next-generation, stealthy, long-endurance flying-wing drone. Known as the GHOST (officially, the details of the acronym are yet to be disclosed), the unmanned aerial system (UAS) will be powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system and utilize a ducted fan design.
The GHOST is intended to deliver enhanced capabilities across various contested environments, with a focus on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike missions. According to the Air Force, work on the aircraft will take place at General Atomics' Poway, California, facilities, with completion anticipated by August 2028.
The hybrid-electric propulsion system is expected to offer improved fuel efficiency and noise reduction compared to existing drone designs, while the airframe's flying-wing design and likely stealth characteristics will boost its operational capabilities in contested airspaces.
Without elaborating, the Air Force did not state the specific requirement the GHOST is intended to address, but it comes as the Air Force plans to retire the venerable U-2 Dragon Lady crewed ISR aircraft starting in 2026. Initially, the Air Force planned to replace the U-2 with the RQ-4 Global Hawk, but the service has been scaling back the inventory of this aircraft and is set to retire all variants by the end of 2027.
It is believed that the GHOST, unlike the U-2 or the RQ-4, may have a kinetic strike mission. Some speculate that the GHOST could be a descendant of a planned "MQ-X" program, a stealth version of the MQ-9 Reaper, which the Air Force has periodically included and excluded from its budget for over 10 years.
In a possible resemblance to the GHOST, General Atomics showed a flying-wing type ISR aircraft at its 2022 Air, Space & Cyber conference. The company's Aeronautical Systems president, David Alexander, had previously mentioned working on an innovative aircraft using ducted fan technology and diesel fuel. According to Alexander, this new aircraft design could significantly extend the Reaper's endurance—more than tripling its 27-hour endurance limit.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had previously announced an autonomous flying wing reconnaissance aircraft named XRQ-73 SHEPARD, designed for "extra quiet" propulsion. The SHEPARD project builds on the Great Horned Owl XRQ-72 project run by AFRL in partnership with DARPA and the Office of Naval Research. The XRQ-72 ran on diesel fuel, similar to the anticipated GHOST aircraft.
The GHOST concept appears to be part of General Atomics' "Gambit" scheme, which includes four different planform autonomous aircraft sharing a common chassis. The flying-wing element of Gambit is described as an ultra-long-endurance, multi-domain sensing platform designed for persistent battlespace awareness.
Lastly, General Atomics has revealed it has progressed to ground testing with its YFQ-42A autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, set for deployment in conjunction with crewed fighters in air-to-air missions.
In essence, the General Atomics GHOST seeks to fill a unique role as a stealthy, long-endurance ISR/strike drone, capable of operating in contested environments with a quieter and more efficient hybrid-electric propulsion system. Its long-endurance capabilities surpass typical figures of existing platforms, such as the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, placing it in a higher technological and mission-wise class[1][2][5].
- The Air Force's GHOST drone, a next-generation stealth flying-wing UAS, is expected to deliver enhanced capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike operations.
- Work on the GHOST is taking place at General Atomics' facilities in Poway, California, with completion forecasted by August 2028.
- The GHOST's hybrid-electric propulsion system, designed to improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise, along with its ducted fan design and likely stealth characteristics, will boost its operational capabilities in contested airspaces.
- Some speculate that the GHOST could have a kinetic strike mission, marking a shift from traditional ISR aircraft like the U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk.
- The General Atomics GHOST is part of the "Gambit" scheme, which includes autonomous aircraft sharing a common chassis, targeting ultra-long-endurance, multi-domain sensing for persistent battlespace awareness.
