The U.S. Air Force’s 30th Reconnaissance Squadron has received the 2025 Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron of the Year award, providing an unusual official account of activity by a unit publicly associated with the low-observable RQ-170 Sentinel drone.
The award was presented at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. The annual trophy is administered through a collaboration between the AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. It recognizes active-duty, Reserve and Air National Guard squadrons for performance in persistent attack or reconnaissance missions, exercises, and unit and individual achievements during the preceding year.
ISR missions and mobility support
According to the award citation, the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Blackbirds, flew 87 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions across three areas of responsibility during 2025. The specific regions were not disclosed. The citation said the missions filled intelligence gaps and disrupted enemy networks.
Larry Stutzriem, the AFA’s executive vice president, said the squadron also conducted six movements across four combatant commands, using airlift valued at $7.2 million. Those movements transported 250 tons of personnel, top-secret material and equipment in support of what he described as a critical Secretary of War-directed mission.
The unit rapidly shifted resources to establish forward operating locations under compressed timelines, according to the award material. Stutzriem said the deployments provided low-observable remotely piloted aircraft support, but neither he nor the published citation explicitly identified the aircraft involved.
A unit publicly linked to the Sentinel
The 30th Reconnaissance Squadron is one of two Air Force units publicly identified as operating the RQ-170 Sentinel. The other is the 44th Reconnaissance Squadron. Both units are assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The absence of a direct RQ-170 reference leaves open whether the cited low-observable support involved only the Sentinel or another unmanned platform. The source said the Air Force has not publicly confirmed the squadron’s operation of other stealthy drones. Much of the Sentinel’s capability and operational history remains classified.
The award citation characterized the Blackbirds’ work as intrusive ISR and said the squadron strengthened the Joint Force’s intelligence advantage. Its account did not identify the targets of the missions, the locations of its forward sites, or the nature of the intelligence gaps cited.
Exercises and aircrew growth
Alongside operational deployments, the squadron conducted six large-force exercises in 2025. Stutzriem said the events were used to develop tactics, techniques and procedures, validate joint-force tactical objectives in land and maritime settings, and provide combat-relevant training.
The squadron’s instructors and evaluators graduated its largest combat mission-ready class, according to the presentation. The class completed training 30 percent ahead of schedule, while the unit accelerated mission-ready status by 33 percent and increased its total aircrew by 26 percent.
The publicly released award details offer a limited view of a reconnaissance unit whose aircraft and missions are only partly acknowledged. They confirm that the 30th Reconnaissance Squadron conducted ISR operations in three undisclosed areas during 2025 while sustaining deployments, mobility activity and force-development work associated with low-observable remotely piloted aircraft.
