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Unmanned aircraft can’t evade attackers, so if you want one that can snoop around in missile-infested enemy turf for 24 hours, it had better be stealthy. The Polecat prototype from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works uses new inlets that hide the engines from radar and an automatic system that scans behind the airplane for its own contrails, adjusting the cruise altitude until they disappear. A low-drag wing increases fuel economy, and advanced autonomous flight controls let it fly higher than earlier tailless airplanes, up to 65,000 feet—keeping it out of range of any missile launchers that somehow do spot it. lockheedmartin.com
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