Top Secret Unmanned Aircraft System Built by Lockheed Martin, Is it Ready for Flight?

The new top-secret Unmanned Aircraft System made by the Skunk Works of Lockheed Martin might be ready for trials soon. The U.S.-made x-craft have been unequaled by its adversaries and technically superior.

It is related to such aircraft as the SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, and the U-2 Dragon Lady, all top secret in classified tech. The U.S. owns these planes, and no country has replicated them, even tech stealing China.

UAS 'Speed Racer' on the horizon?

While other nations like China and Russia are relying on hypersonic weapons to stop the U.S. military, US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin will conduct tests on the new robotic aircraft next-gen, way ahead of China and Russia, reported Eurasian Times. The development of Speed Racer is direct competition to less modern drones of U.S. competitors. Advanced drones will be at the forefront of tomorrow's battlefield.

The center developing the high-tech drone is the Skunk Works division, also called the Advanced Development Programs. Engineers and designers of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) will be done by the secretive division, classified as hush-hush projects.

One official of the aerospace company mentioned nothing in particular and gave few details to the press. One state said the unknown and new UAS is or might be ready for testing as of this writing.

According to the source, the top-secret unmanned aircraft system 'Speed Racer' is waiting for the engine it will use. These engines are made by Technical Directions Inc. (TDI). The engine is a small turbojet engine bought by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, said the spokeswoman.

Also read: F-15EX offered to India by the US, Even Better than F-35s in Dogfights

StarDrive, what is it?

Sources reveal that the unmanned drone will be using a new digital engineering process called StarDrive. To shorten prototype's development with an engineering process using computers to virtually make digital twins for all stages in developing the final prototype. It is considered the start of producing aircraft in shorter intervals than before, getting actual planes in the U.S. arsenal faster.

Digital engineering is imported from the civilian aerospace sector, an innovation in the development of military products. For example, many projects like the F-22 and F-35 took a long time to get from prototypes which cost more than expected. The U.S. military can get their hands-on new weapons faster and spend less that will be a great advantage.

For example, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project was finished in twenty years that was costly. If StarDrive were available then, the F-35 would have been cheaper on personnel and money factors. Another is development time the project will change, especially in modern warfare.

With the contractor's digital engineering process, U.S. Air Force officials say that a new drone, jet fighter, will be ready in a year or so. Increased development time will give the USAF an edge that adversaries will not like, especially China.

The top-secret unmanned aircraft system called Speed Racer from Skunk Works will have a real UAS to verify its digital counterpart as the USAF modernizes to improve a faster and cheaper way to get what it needs from Lockheed Martin.