Northrop Grumman Firebird

Lore & Background

The Firebird was one of the last aircraft designs overseen by Burt Rutan, who retired in April 2011. The twin-boom aircraft has a pusher configuration and a long slender high aspect ratio wing with a very slight forward sweep angle. It is designed to carry up to four modules of reconnaissance equipment simultaneously on a separate system from that needed to control the plane, allowing equipment to be easily swapped. According to a Northrop executive, this design means payload integration takes days or weeks instead of years. The aircraft can simultaneously view infrared imagery, gather real time high-definition video, use radar, and perform local signals intelligence.

The idea for an aircraft capable of being flown with or without a pilot was first floated on February 9, 2009, by Rick Crooks, who contacted Scaled Composites about the possibility. Scaled agreed, and the aircraft made its first flight on February 9, 2010. In October 2010, it demonstrated its capabilities of collecting information from multiple sources simultaneously for the first time during a demonstration flight in Sacramento, California, for defense officials. Between May 23 and June 3, 2010, it participated in the 2011 Empire Challenge exercise, displaying its ability to carry multiple payloads and switch them out rapidly. The aircraft was publicly unveiled on May 9, 2011. A new variant with a wingspan widened from 72.2 to 79.2 ft first flew in March 2018 and was intended to be launched in early 2019. The Firebird had its European debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo air show at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom in July 2019.

Reader's Guide

The Firebird represents a notable approach to intelligence gathering by combining manned and unmanned operation in a single airframe. Its design emphasizes rapid reconfiguration of reconnaissance payloads, a capability demonstrated during the 2011 Empire Challenge exercise. Despite being considered operationally ready beyond the prototype stage, production was suspended in April 2022 after failing to secure any export customers, though Northrop Grumman left open the possibility of future production. The single aircraft built has been used by operators including the United States Federal Government (exact customer unnamed), Grand Sky Development, and Tenax Aerospace. The aircraft has hardpoints to carry weapons but is currently unarmed. Its significance lies in its optionally piloted concept and modular sensor system, though its limited production run and lack of export sales constrained its broader impact.

Did You Know?

• It can fly up to 40 hours at a top speed of 230 mph at an altitude of 30,000 ft.
• The aircraft made its first flight on February 9, 2010, exactly one year after the idea was first proposed.
• Production was suspended in April 2022 due to a lack of export customers.