XRQ-73 SHEPARD Hybrid Electric X-Plane

Northrop Grumman continues to define what’s possible in the air with the design and construction of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) demonstrator for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

SHEPARD, which is a Group 3 Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS), weighs in at about 1,250 pounds and leverages the series hybrid electric architecture and select component technologies from earlier projects.

SHEPARD Gains X-Plane Designation

SHEPARD recently received its X-plane designation of XRQ-73, joining DARPA’s roster of innovative experimental aircraft.

Built in collaboration with Scaled Composites, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, the XRQ-73 SHEPARD is a DARPA "X-prime" program leveraging hybrid electric architecture and component technologies to quickly mature a new mission-focused aircraft design with propulsion architecture and power class for the Department of Defense.