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Agreed. The number of development airframes has no bearing on the number of production units. I would not expect to see the same number of RQ-180s as RQ-4s because I'm guessing the per-unit cost is significantly higher. Just speculation; I haven't followed the money.The first flight of the RQ-180 was in August 2010 and by the end of 2016, nine EMD models had flown. The first production airframe joined the fleet in early 2017. By the end of 2019, there were at least four more. There have been some credible rumors that one pair of aircraft made their first flights in 2020 and another pair in 2021, and possibly more after that. So, by mid-2022 we're looking at around 20 airframes built and perhaps more on the way. Who knows? All things considered, it seems like a respectable rate of production.
Agreed. The number of development airframes has no bearing on the number of production units. I would not expect to see the same number of RQ-180s as RQ-4s because I'm guessing the per-unit cost is significantly higher. Just speculation; I haven't followed the money.
The first flight of the RQ-180 was in August 2010 and by the end of 2016, nine EMD models had flown. The first production airframe joined the fleet in early 2017. By the end of 2019, there were at least four more. There have been some credible rumors that one pair of aircraft made their first flights in 2020 and another pair in 2021, and possibly more after that. So, by mid-2022 we're looking at around 20 airframes built and perhaps more on the way. Who knows? All things considered, it seems like a respectable rate of production.
