RQ-21 Blackjack Specs and Cost: What Insitu Publishes

What an RQ-21A Costs, and What the Navy Got

Insitu publishes no unit price, system price, or list price for the RQ-21A Blackjack, and we found no Department of Defense procurement account for it that traces to a primary source. Because no official price is published, calculating a per-aircraft sticker price from open records is impossible. To understand why individual airframe prices rarely capture what the military pays for uncrewed aviation, read our reference guide on military drone cost structures.

What the Department of the Navy received instead is a documented record across two naval branches. Official manufacturer documentation confirms that Insitu delivered 31 systems to the US Navy and the US Marine Corps in what Insitu calls its Program of Record for both services. Across those delivered systems, the aircraft logged more than 17,000 flight hours and completed 14 total operational deployments. Those operational outings divided into eight maritime deployments with Marine Expeditionary Units and six land-based deployments.

NAVAIR's foreign military sales program placed the system with four international customers. Across its entire portfolio of uncrewed products, Insitu cites more than 1.6 million operational hours, though that aggregate count covers the company's broader product family rather than the RQ-21A alone.

RQ-21A and Integrator Published Specifications

Insitu lists the RQ-21A Blackjack and the Integrator uncrewed aircraft from the same broader airframe family. While both variants share identical fuselage lengths, their published performance envelopes, gross weights, and endurance ratings diverge across multiple operational lines. Operators comparing these airframes should evaluate the differences across published flight metrics.

The following table compares the published performance figures drawn directly from Insitu's published RQ-21A specifications and the company's published documentation for the baseline Integrator aircraft. Every specification reflects the manufacturer's open documentation without secondary estimation.

Two Distinct Capability Sets on One Airframe Footprint

The physical dimensions published by Insitu demonstrate that the RQ-21A Blackjack and the Integrator share an identical airframe length of 8.2 feet. Their wingspans are nearly indistinguishable, measuring 15.7 feet on the military RQ-21A and 16 feet on the Integrator. Despite sharing this physical geometry, the published numbers that govern operational mission planning diverge substantially.

The published weight and payload capacities show different engineering baselines between the two models. The military RQ-21A lists a maximum takeoff weight of 135 pounds and a maximum payload capacity of 39 pounds (which reduces endurance). By contrast, the Integrator lists a maximum takeoff weight of 175 pounds and supports 50 pounds of payload distributed across 10 bays. Maximum flight duration reflects a similar gap: the RQ-21A flies up to 16 hours, while the Integrator reaches up to 27.5 hours, including a company-record 25.5-hour operational mission flight.

One specific performance metric rates the military variant higher than the Integrator. Insitu publishes an operating ceiling of up to 20,000 feet for the RQ-21A, whereas the Integrator lists a ceiling of 19,500 feet. The manufacturer's documentation lists these aircraft separately alongside the smaller ScanEagle on its Insitu products overview page. For an examination of the lighter airframe in the same product line, see our analysis of the ScanEagle.

Standard Sensor Suite and Modular Mission Payloads

The standard payload on the RQ-21A Blackjack integrates optical, thermal, and identification sensors into a single naval reconnaissance package. Daylight imaging relies on an electro-optic imager delivering a continuous field of view from -1.1 to 25 degrees paired with a 4x digital zoom capability. Thermal tracking is handled by a mid-wave infrared camera with a -2 to 25 degree field of view.

The standard payload configuration includes a laser rangefinder, an infrared marker, a communications relay, and an Automatic Identification System receiver. The aircraft is powered by an 8-horsepower reciprocating engine fitted with electronic fuel injection, running JP-5 or JP-8.

Beyond the standard configuration, the RQ-21A uses an open payload architecture engineered for mission-specific hardware swaps. Field units can install signals intelligence capabilities, electronic warfare payloads, or specialized radio-frequency sensors. However, loading modular gear toward the 39-pound maximum payload weight forces an operational tradeoff, because Insitu explicitly notes that carrying peak payload weight reduces the aircraft's 16-hour maximum flight endurance.

Shipboard Launch and Recovery Without a Runway

The RQ-21A operates from land and sea without requiring a runway. Insitu publishes rail launch with SkyHook recovery for the Integrator airframe family.

Insitu publishes the FLARES vertical takeoff and landing kit with the Integrator: minimal deck space, launch in high seas and gusty winds, zero aircraft modifications. For broader context on how fixed-wing and hybrid systems fit modern military force design, review our guide covering types of military drones.

The FLARES system operates within defined environmental boundaries when handling the 175-pound Integrator airframe. Insitu rates the equipment to manage ship deck motion of plus or minus 10 degrees of roll and plus or minus 5 degrees of pitch. Operational weather limits allow launches in temperatures ranging from -20 to +45 degrees Celsius and winds up to 30 knots with 10-knot gusts, with the complete launch assembly packing into a single 463L military air cargo pallet measuring 108 by 88 by 62 inches.

Encrypted Datalinks and Line-of-Sight Boundaries

The operational reach of the RQ-21A Blackjack depends on an encrypted command and control datalink that connects the airframe directly to ground or shipboard control stations. Insitu specifies a line-of-sight operating radius beyond 50 nautical miles, or 92.6 kilometers, for this communication link.

The airframe features built-in electromagnetic shielding to protect onboard radios and control systems from radio-frequency interference. This shielding allows military operators to install custom radio-frequency sensor payloads and communications packages without degrading baseline command telemetry. The system also complies with relevant NATO and defense industry interoperability standards to allow data sharing with allied and joint coalition task forces.

Speed ratings dictate how quickly the aircraft reaches its 50-nautical-mile operational boundary. The RQ-21A cruises at 60 knots and can achieve maximum horizontal speeds exceeding 90 knots, or 46.3 meters per second. Readers looking to explore fixed-wing airframe performance across similar platforms can consult our reference on military fixed-wing drones.

Expeditionary Transport and Deployment History

The RQ-21A Blackjack was developed in direct partnership with the US Department of the Navy to deliver a small tactical uncrewed aircraft system capable of land and sea deployment. Units can transport the system via ship, cargo aircraft (V-22, C-130 or larger), cargo helicopters (CH-47, CH-53), and vehicles such as HMMWVs or JLTVs.

The 14 completed operational deployments include eight maritime MEU deployments alongside six land-based deployments. Insitu states the role provides persistent detection, classification, and tracking alongside electronic warfare, ISR, and communications relay.

Through NAVAIR's foreign military sales program, four international customers acquired the RQ-21A system. For readers tracking broader defense aviation fleets, our directory of US military drones maps out where small tactical systems fit across the armed services.

Published Program Records and Defense Cost Metrics

Evaluating the true acquisition cost of an RQ-21A Blackjack requires looking past the absence of an official retail price tag. Neither Insitu nor the Department of Defense publishes a standard unit flyaway cost on accessible public specification pages.

Because published public procurement documentation is inaccessible, dividing overall program budgets by the 31 delivered naval systems would produce an inaccurate per-aircraft price. Insitu pitches the Integrator as providing Group 4 and Group 5 capabilities at a fraction of typical acquisition and operation costs, but that comparison remains a manufacturer marketing claim rather than an audited financial metric.

Readers evaluating defense aviation programs should review our Insitu company profile to analyze the manufacturer's corporate history and active uncrewed aircraft production lines.