According to Greek outlet OnLarissa, a flying wing aircraft, clearly not a B-2 Spirit, was photographed reportedly flying over Larissa, Greece. Is this our best view ever of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive ISR drone?
OnLarissa reports, based on comment from local sources, that the aircraft was a B-2 Spirit that diverted into Larissa Airport with an apparent technical issue. Of course, to any trained observer, the aircraft shape is clearly not that of a B-2. Additionally, the undercarriage visible does not resemble that of the B-21 Raider, and the overall shape of the aircraft rules out the RQ-170 Sentinel.
The closest match we can find, corroborated by anonymous sources with some familiarity with the clandestine jet, is with the famous (yet still classified) intelligence, surveillance, and reconaissance UAV operated by the U.S. Air Force that we have come to know as the RQ-180. Almost certainly this designation is not used officially, but we use it in lieu of a confirmed one. Thank you to @MechDesignxyz on X/Twitter for forwarding this sighting to us.
Article saying that a B-2 (!) landed on a military base in Larissa, Greece because of some issue
The photos however showing something that’s neither a B-2, nor a drone like RQ170
Not sure how credible is this or if it’s actually a US aircraft @onlarissahttps://t.co/I8VcpGIPTp pic.twitter.com/42xLCwTcIg
— MechDesign.xyz (@MechDesignxyz) March 18, 2026
Larissa is no stranger to a U.S. military presence, and has hosted MQ-9 Reaper detachments on an ongoing basis. It does remain unclear, though, if these images genuinely depict an RQ-180 – what were the circumstances that led it to be essentially revealed in broad daylight over a populated, inland area of Greece?
Previous speculation as to the operation of these secretive aircraft assumed that they primarily operated from remote, perhaps coastal, airbases where even nighttime sightings would be uncommon or easily explained away. Examples might include Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus, or one of the massive U.S. installations in the Gulf.
This aircraft seen over Larissa, Greece is not a B-2 like the local Greek news reported or an RQ-170, but is in fact best imagery ever published of the RQ-180, an undisclosed low observable drone used by the USAF. Location suggests use in the Iran conflict https://t.co/Pa9whNlQSV pic.twitter.com/UsDxy9Tc4n
— IntelWalrus (@IntelWalrus) March 18, 2026
The RQ-180 has reportedly featured a near-white colour scheme, similar to the B-21, and as we have previously reported it apparently has garnered the nicknames ‘White Bat’, ‘Great White Bat’, or ‘Shikaka’ in service. The dark appearance of the aircraft here may reflect a new colour scheme, or simply be a trick of lighting. It was developed by Northrop Grumman as part of the Penetrating ISR or P-ISR project, and according to aviation historian Peter Merlin at least nine examples had flown by 2016.
Israel is also known to operate its own stealth drone, which has been labelled RA-01. It is difficult to compare since we do not have confirmed images of this aircraft, but some supposed sightings show some differences in planform. Additionally, the question must be asked – why would Israel fly its secretive stealth drone to Greece?
This article concerns a breaking news story and may be updated as and when new information or analysis is available.
