DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

RQ-170 Sentinel

aerialproductionby Lockheed Martin

Stealth reconnaissance UAV developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force.

Track RQ-170 Sentinel
Manufacturer
Lockheed Martin
Form factor
aerial
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1
Website
lockheedmartin.com ↗

Overview

Stealth reconnaissance UAV developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force. 20-30 estimated in service. Used during Osama bin Laden raid.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
production(Full-scale production deployment with repeat customers.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Form Factor

aerial

Maturity

production

Stealth uncrewed aircraft

Lockheed Martin identifies the RQ-170 in its ISR and uncrewed-systems material as part of its low-observable uncrewed aircraft work (ISR and UAS)

Operational stealth UAS

Lockheed Martin calls the RQ-170 the first American operational stealth uncrewed aerial system in its corporate feature (stealth aircraft milestone)

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

2

3 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for RQ-170 Sentinel. 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-170 Sentinel.

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

Sources (3)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_RQ-170_Sentinel
  2. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/isr-uas.html
  3. https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2022/Now-Thats-a-Milestone-Worth-Celebrating-1000-Stealth-Air.html

Common questions

What is RQ-170 Sentinel?
Stealth reconnaissance UAV developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force. 20-30 estimated in service. Used during Osama bin Laden raid.
How much does RQ-170 Sentinel cost?
RQ-170 Sentinel's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for RQ-170 Sentinel from Lockheed Martin. 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-170 Sentinel actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. RQ-170 Sentinel 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-170 Sentinel?
RQ-170 Sentinel is made by Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, MD, founded in 1912.
Where is RQ-170 Sentinel deployed?
1 verified deployment of RQ-170 Sentinel is on the DEPLOY registry, including at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
Can you buy RQ-170 Sentinel?
RQ-170 Sentinel 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-170 Sentinel?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable aerial robots to RQ-170 Sentinel include Wing Delivery Aircraft, Skydio X10, Zipline Platform 2 (P2), Prime Air MK30.
How does RQ-170 Sentinel compare to Wing Delivery Aircraft?
RQ-170 Sentinel and Wing Delivery Aircraft (Wing · 35 deployments) are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. RQ-170 Sentinel has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is RQ-170 Sentinel a top aerial?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, RQ-170 Sentinel ranks in roughly the top 72% of aerial models tracked by the registry.
What is RQ-170 Sentinel's maturity stage?
RQ-170 Sentinel 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-170 Sentinel safe?
RQ-170 Sentinel 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 (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-09

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-10-09

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base
1
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

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

Methodology surface for RQ-170 Sentinel.

Recent coverage

RQ-170 Sentinel in third-party press

New Details About Secretive RQ-170 Sentinel Drone Squadron Shared With New Award

Sep 18, 2026

Lockheed Confirms RQ-170 Sentinel Flew in Maduro Capture Operation

Feb 4, 2026

Lockheed's RQ-170 drone used in mission to capture Venezuelan leader

Jan 30, 2026