The RQ-7B is a tactical unmanned air system (TUAS) produced by Textron System's AAI subsidiary. The aircraft is in service in the U.S. Army and with the Marine Corps' four VMU squadrons. The aircraft can be launched from a small space (including off a ship) with a pneumatic catapult and recovered with an arresting cable. The Shadow has been tested with Lockheed Martin's new 11 pound Shadow Hawk glide-drop guided munition.
Additionally, Shadow has tested an electronic attack capability through the Collaborative On-line Reconnaissance Provider of Operational Responsive Attack Link (CORPORAL) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD). In 2011, the CORPORAL program demonstrated the ability for a Shadow 200 to carry an IED and communications jammer. The Marines want the Shadow to carry the ALQ-231 Intrepid Tiger II twin-pod system.
2011 - An RQ-7B with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU-3) makes an arrested landing at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.