DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

RQ-21 Blackjack

aerialproductionby Insitu

Small tactical unmanned aircraft system developed by Insitu (Boeing subsidiary) for US Navy and Marine Corps.

Track RQ-21 Blackjack
Manufacturer
Insitu
Form factor
aerial
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1
Website
insitu.com ↗

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Key facts

Role (company-stated)

A small tactical unmanned aircraft system for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from land or sea.

Launch and recovery (company-stated)

A pneumatic launcher and SkyHook recovery system allow runway-independent operations.

Size and weight (company-stated)

Max takeoff weight 135 lb / 61 kg; max payload 39 lb / 17.7 kg (payload reduces endurance); length 8.2 ft / 2.5 m; wingspan 15.7 ft / 4.8 m.

Performance (company-stated)

Endurance up to 16 hours, ceiling up to 20,000 ft, max speed 90+ knots / 46.3 m/s, cruise 60 knots.

Engine and radio range (company-stated)

An 8 HP fuel-injected reciprocating engine running JP-5 or JP-8; line-of-sight radius beyond 50 nm / 92.6 km.

Program status (company-stated)

17,000+ flight hours and 31 systems delivered to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Specs

Range km

93.3

Runtime h

16

Data & sources

Web sources

3

3 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for RQ-21 Blackjack. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (1)

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

No incidents on record for RQ-21 Blackjack.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (3)

  1. https://thedefensepost.com/2025/02/21/us-blackjack-scaneagle-drones/
  2. https://www.insitu.com/products/rq21a
  3. https://www.insitu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/RQ-21A_Blackjack_ProductCard_DU011221.pdf

Mentioned on (2)

Registry pages whose text names RQ-21 Blackjack.

Companies (1)

Insitu

Common questions

What is RQ-21 Blackjack?
Small tactical unmanned aircraft system developed by Insitu (Boeing subsidiary) for US Navy and Marine Corps.
How much does RQ-21 Blackjack cost?
RQ-21 Blackjack's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for RQ-21 Blackjack from Insitu. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is RQ-21 Blackjack actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. RQ-21 Blackjack is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes RQ-21 Blackjack?
RQ-21 Blackjack is made by Insitu, based in Bingen, Washington, USA, founded in 1994.
Where is RQ-21 Blackjack deployed?
1 verified deployment of RQ-21 Blackjack is on the DEPLOY registry, including at United States.
Can you buy RQ-21 Blackjack?
RQ-21 Blackjack is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to RQ-21 Blackjack?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable aerial robots to RQ-21 Blackjack include Wing Delivery Aircraft, Skydio X10, Zipline Platform 2 (P2), Prime Air MK30.
How does RQ-21 Blackjack compare to Wing Delivery Aircraft?
RQ-21 Blackjack and Wing Delivery Aircraft (Wing · 35 deployments) are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. RQ-21 Blackjack has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is RQ-21 Blackjack a top aerial?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, RQ-21 Blackjack ranks in roughly the top 76% of aerial models tracked by the registry.
What is RQ-21 Blackjack's maturity stage?
RQ-21 Blackjack is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.
Is RQ-21 Blackjack safe?
RQ-21 Blackjack has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-10

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

3
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for RQ-21 Blackjack.

Recent coverage

RQ-21 Blackjack in third-party press

Insitu to Provide More Blackjack, ScanEagle Drones for US Navy

Feb 21, 2025

Insitu Announces Kinetic Capability for the Integrator Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS)

Sep 7, 2023

Royal Thai Navy receives RQ-21 Blackjack UAS from US

May 24, 2022