Northrop Grumman XRQ-73 SHEPARD

The Northrop Grumman XRQ-73 SHEPARD, whose name stands for Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration, is a tailless flying wing hybrid-electric unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Northrop Grumman for DARPA. It falls in the Group 3 class of unmanned aircraft and weighs about 1,250 pounds, or 570 kilograms. Northrop Grumman Aeronautic Systems is the prime contractor, with Scaled Composites, Cornerstone Research Group, Brayton Energy, PC Krause and Associates and EaglePicher Technologies as suppliers. The XRQ-73 is an evolution of the XRQ-72A Great Horned Owl. Its first flight took place in April 2026 at Edwards Air Force Base, although DARPA did not officially release the precise date.