In March of 2023, Russia sent a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet to intercept an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea to prevent it from entering Russian airspace over Crimea. Currently, the U. S. military uses 23 drone models, ranging from hand-launched devices to ones larger than many commercial aircraft.
By consulting a variety of resources on military technology, 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of all currently known unmanned aerial vehicles used by the U. S. military. The drones are listed in alphabetical order.
Out of the 23 identified vehicles, Northrop Grumman, a major military contractor, produces five, including the most expensive drone in the current American fleet, the MQ-4C Triton. Costing $180 million, the Triton, is a high-altitude, long-range surveillance aircraft that was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 2018. The Triton is one of two drones that cost upwards of $100 million.
Five relatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft on this list are produced by AeroVironment, which manufactures small UAVs designed for both civilian and military use. One AeroVironment drone is the $6,000 Switchblade 300, a tube-launched loitering munition that weighs 5.5 pounds and measures 2 feed in length. These weapon systems, also called kamikaze drones, are being supplied by the Pentagon to Ukrainian forces and used against invading Russian forces.
Costing between $10 million and $60 million, five U.S military drones are manufactured by General Atomics, a San Diego-based private energy and defense company. Among these is the $20 million armed Predator reconnaissance drone.
Some U.S. military drones cost less than $50,000, such as the Coyote, made by Waltham, Massachusetts-based defense contractor Raytheon. Similar to the economical drones produced by AeroVironment, the Coyote is an disposable tube-launched “kamikaze” drone, designed for intercepting and destroying small attack drones.
Here are the drones used by the U.S. military:
Black Hornet Nano
Source: James Rolevink / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $190,000
- Manufacturer: Grotmol Solutions
- Dimensions: 0.4 feet (length)
Coyote
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $15,000
- Manufacturer: Raytheon
- Dimensions: 4.9 feet (wingspan)
CQ-10 Snowgoose
- Primary use: Aerial supply, aerial surveillance, and communications relay
- Cost: $650,000
- Manufacturer: MMIST
- Dimensions: 9.5 feet (wingspan)
MQ-19 Aerosonde
- Primary use: Reconnaissance, surveillance, and data collection
- Cost: $100,000
- Manufacturer: AAI Corporation
- Dimensions: 9.5 feet (wingspan)
MQ-1B Predator
Source: usairforce / Flickr
- Primary use: Armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance, and target acquisition
- Cost: $20.0 million
- Manufacturer: General Atomics
- Dimensions: 55 feet (wingspan)
MQ-1C Gray Eagle
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use:Reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and ground strikes
- Cost: $21.5 million
- Manufacturer: General Atomics
- Dimensions: 29.5 feet (wingspan)
MQ-4C Triton
Source: usnavy / Flickr
- Primary use: Persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $180.0 million
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Dimensions: 130.9 feet (wingspan)
MQ-8B Fire Scout/MQ-8C Fire Scout
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Reconnaissance, classification, targeting, and battle management
- Cost: $27.5 million
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Dimensions: 31.5 feet (length)
MQ-9 Reaper
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Intelligence collection in support of strikes, coordination, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $56.5 million
- Manufacturer: General Atomics, L3Harris, Raytheon
- Dimensions: 66 feet (wingspan)
Northrop Grumman Bat
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: Unknown
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Dimensions: 12 feet (wingspan)
Phoenix Ghost
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Ground attack, Close-air support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: Unknown
- Manufacturer: Aevex Aerospace
- Dimensions: Unknown
RQ-11 Raven
- Primary use: Low-altitude Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $260,000
- Manufacturer: AeroVironment Inc.
- Dimensions: 4.5 feet (wingspan)
RQ-12 Wasp
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Reconnaissance and surveillance with low-altitude operation
- Cost: $49,000
- Manufacturer: AeroVironment Inc.
- Dimensions: 2.4 feet (wingspan)
RQ-170 Sentinel
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare
- Cost: $6.0 million
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Dimensions: 46 to 90 feet (wingspan)
RQ-180
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: Unknown
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
- Dimensions: 164 feet (wingspan)
RQ-20 Puma
- Primary use: Surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting
- Cost: $250,000
- Manufacturer: AeroVironment Inc.
- Dimensions: 9.2 feet (wingspan)
RQ-21 Blackjack
Source: cne-cna-c6f / Flickr
- Primary use: Surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and communication relay
- Cost: $11.9 million
- Manufacturer: Insitu Inc.
- Dimensions: 15.7 feet (wingspan)
RQ-4 Global Hawk
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
- Primary use: High-altitude, long-endurance Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $130.0 million
- Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, L3Harris
- Dimensions: 130.9 feet (wingspan)
RQ-7 Shadow
Source: thenationalguard / Flickr
- Primary use: Reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, and force protection
- Cost: $632,500
- Manufacturer: AAI Corporation
- Dimensions: 20 feet (wingspan)
ScanEagle
Source: usairforce / Flickr
- Primary use: Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
- Cost: $3.2 million
- Manufacturer: Insitu Inc.
- Dimensions: 10.2 feet (wingspan)
Stalker
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Primary use: Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
- Cost: $1.4 million
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Dimensions: 16 feet (wingspan)
Switchblade 300
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Reconnaissance and precision strikes
- Cost: $6,000
- Manufacturer: AeroVironment Inc.
- Dimensions: 2 feet (length)
Switchblade 600
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Primary use: Reconnaissance and anti-armor precision strikes
- Cost: $10,000
- Manufacturer: AeroVironment Inc.
- Dimensions: 5.9 feet (length)
Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Start Here
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Orare you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
