The mysterious flying wing aircraft could have been a B-21—but was more likely an ultra-secret Air Force drone with the same overall shape.

Aviation enthusiasts often ply their trade by monitoring the skies around US military bases for many hours in the hope that an unusual plane flies by. These long and mostly thankless hours are occasionally rewarded with the sight of something new or unusual—and one such sighting took place in Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday, close to McConnell Air Force Base (AFB). A video of an unusual flying wing aircraft was shared on TikTok, leading to speculation that the unidentified aircraft could be the sixth-generation B-21 Raider, the long-range strategic bomber now undergoing flight testing.

“The aircraft hasn’t been 100 percent identified, but it appears most likely to be America’s new stealth bomber—the B-21 Raider,” wrote David Hookstead, an aviation and defense reporter for OutKick/Fox News.

Commenters to his story, and others on social media, have suggested the mystery aircraft likely wasn’t the Raider, and could be a similar-looking B-2 Spirit instead. The flying wing shape is not unique to manned planes, either; it could have been one of a pair of secretive stealth drones that the Air Force has tried to keep out of the spotlight.

Did a B-21 Raider Make a Cross-Country Flight?

The B-21 Raider, the eventual replacement for the United States Air Force’s B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers, is being produced at Northrop Grumman’s production facilities at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, with the 420th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB overseeing the flight test efforts.

It is not obvious what a Raider would have been doing in Kansas, if indeed the aircraft was the mysterious B-21. It is true that McConnell AFB does host and participate in Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for new systems, avionics updates, and modern tanker capabilities. McConnell has been previously used for specialized evaluations, such as reduced crew operations. However, as an Air Mobility Command base, it focuses on the KC-135 and KC-46 tankers.

Moreover, given that the B-21 Raider will initially be hosted at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, with the first aircraft possibly arriving by 2028, there isn’t a clear reason why the Northrop Grumman aircraft would be landing in Kansas.

The B-2 Spirit’s flight testing continues to be managed from Edwards AFB and Whiteman AFB, Missouri. McConnell AFB does occasionally host refueling or transient visits by the B-2 bomber as they fly cross-country, and it is possible that a B-21 made a refueling stop, but there is no evidence that was the case.

If the Mystery Aircraft Wasn’t a B-21, What Was It?

If the aircraft in the video wasn’t a B-21 Raider or a B-2 Spirit, then the question is what was it? Based on its size and shape, the most likely explanation is that it was the RQ-170 Sentinel, the stealth drone developed by Lockheed Martin, or the RQ-180, a competing offering from Northrop Grumman.

The US Air Force has been extremely tight-lipped about both platforms, but it was speculated earlier this year that an RQ-170 may have played a role in Operation Absolute Resolve, which led to the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicola Maduro.

“Based on observed airframes and open-source analysis, the RQ-170 is confirmed to have a flying-wing design with stealth shaping and a limited internal payload volume,” wrote Harrison Kass for The National Interest in January. “The likely sensor options include electro-optical and infrared, possibly with radar in modular configuration.”

The aircraft spotted near McConnell AFB this week does seem to fit that description.

Even fewer details are known about the high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) surveillance and reconnaissance drone known unofficially as the RQ-180. One of those UAS was reported to have been spotted landing in Greece in April, with claims it supported US combat operations in Iran.

Video of that drone was shared on X; it does seem to closely resemble the aircraft seen this week over Kansas.

The US Air Force has never publicly acknowledged the RQ-180’s existence, but it is believed to have been introduced around 2010, and it was developed to fill the high-altitude reconnaissance gap left by older spy planes and to operate where traditional non-stealth drones like the Global Hawk cannot survive.

Whatever the aircraft was, it likely isn’t in Kansas anymore!

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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