Transcript [00:00] Before dawn this week, an armed drone [00:03] came in low through Jordanian airspace [00:07] using the desert terrain to approach [00:09] Israel. Israeli Air Force intercepted it [00:13] near the southern Dead Sea before it [00:15] crossed the border into the Jewish [00:17] state. It was the third drone that [00:19] stopped in that sector in roughly 24 [00:22] hours, while Jordan had already downed [00:25] two drones that entered [music] from the [00:28] Iranian territory. Why would the Iran or [00:30] one of the networks operating for it [00:33] probe this air corridor while diplomats [00:36] are trying to preserve a pause, a [00:39] ceasefire? Because the bombing may have [00:42] slowed, [00:43] but the hunt has not stopped. The United [00:46] States paused a prepared expansion of [00:48] its campaign after 13 consecutive nights [00:51] of strikes. [00:53] Yet, its tankers, fighters, ships, [00:57] submarines, air defense batteries, and [00:59] surveillance aircraft remain across this [01:02] region. Negotiators are discussing the [01:04] Strait of Hormuz, [01:06] oil traffic, sanctions, and a possible [01:09] temporary arrangement. Military planners [01:11] are still tracking missile launchers, [01:14] mobile radars, coastal batteries, [01:16] >> [music] [01:16] >> command vehicles, and the entrances to [01:19] underground facilities. That [01:22] >> [music] [01:22] >> is where a machine from the world of [01:25] science fiction [01:27] is entering this war. [01:32] It is known publicly as the RQ-180, [01:36] although even that name has never been [01:38] officially confirmed. The United States [01:40] Air Forces does not acknowledge the [01:43] aircraft. For years, its public [01:46] relations department consisted mainly of [01:49] blurry photographs and aviation experts [01:52] arguing on the internet what it is. And [01:55] then, on March 18th, 2026, [01:59] a Greek aviation photographer captured a [02:02] huge flying wing aircraft descending [02:06] near Larissa. [02:07] It lowered its landing gear in daylight, [02:11] and approached the runway with the calm [02:13] of an airliner arriving from London. [02:16] The shape was different from a [02:18] >> [music] [02:18] >> B-2 or a B-21 or the smaller RQ-170. [02:24] Aviation analysts believe that the [02:26] secret aircraft had finally stepped out [02:29] of the shadows. The most important [02:31] American aircraft over Iran may be one [02:34] that carries no bombs. As missiles once [02:37] again fall all across the Middle East [02:39] from Iran, Hezbollah, and other enemies, [02:42] many people are asking how they can [02:45] stand with Israel in a meaningful way. [02:48] And the answer [music] is very simple. [02:50] Help us rebuild. [02:52] We invite you to take part in something [02:54] real. Something that is rooted in the [02:56] land and in our hearts. [02:58] The Rebuild Israel campaign continues. [03:00] It's bringing life back to Israel's [03:02] north. [03:03] So, along Israel's northern border, an [03:05] area marked by war, displacement, and [03:07] loss, we are planting an apple orchard. [03:10] Not as a symbol for a single moment, but [03:13] as part of a long-term commitment to [03:15] restore what was damaged [music] and [03:17] strengthen Israel's future. [03:19] At a time when Israel is under attack, [03:22] planting trees is a powerful declaration [03:25] that we are still here, that we are [03:26] building, that we are growing, and that [03:29] we're not leaving anywhere. Because God [03:31] promised this land [music] to his [03:33] people, the people of Israel, and [03:34] together, we can help it flourish [03:36] [music] once again. [03:38] This orchard is more than just [03:40] agriculture. It creates jobs for local [03:42] families, [music] it helps communities [03:44] return and rebuild, and it sends a clear [03:46] message to the people of Israel, you are [03:48] not alone. So, when you donate, you're [03:51] not just giving, you're rebuilding. Your [03:53] support puts trees in the ground, [03:56] restores livelihoods, and transforms [03:58] land that is scarred by war into a land [04:00] that grows again. [04:02] This is how renewal takes root. This is [04:04] how Israel rebuilds after war. So, stand [04:06] with Israel today. Plant hope, restore [04:09] the north, and strengthen [music] the [04:10] future. How you do that? You go now to [04:12] tbn.org/rebuildisrael. [04:15] That's tbn.org/rebuildisrael [music] [04:18] or call 800-804-7895. [04:24] Rebuild the land, restore hope, and [04:26] bless the future. And let's show these [04:27] terrorists that we're not going [04:29] anywhere. [04:30] The story of the RQ-180 begins with the [04:33] problem that was created by the [04:35] retirement of the SR-71 [04:38] Blackbird in 1998. [04:41] The Blackbird survived by flying [04:43] extremely high and extraordinarily fast. [04:48] It could cross the sky at more than [04:50] three times the speed of sound, gather [04:53] intelligence, and leave before most [04:55] defenses could respond. Speed, however, [04:58] did not make it invisible. [05:00] Soviet interceptors, long-range [05:02] missiles, and improving the radar [05:04] networks made its missions increasingly [05:07] dangerous. Satellites filled part of the [05:10] gap. But, satellites follow predictable [05:13] [snorts and music] [05:14] orbits. [05:15] An adversary can calculate when one is [05:19] coming, move a launcher under cover, and [05:22] bring it back after the satellite [05:23] passes. The American answer [05:26] was not another fast aircraft. It was a [05:29] patient aircraft that could remain [05:31] inside defended [music] airspace without [05:33] being noticed. Aviation reporting [05:35] indicates that [05:37] Northrop Grumman received the classified [05:41] contract around 2008. [05:44] The aircraft probably began flight [05:47] testings around 2010 and may have [05:50] entered operational service several [05:52] years later. Almost every technical [05:55] figure remains [music] an estimate [05:57] because the Pentagon has released no [05:59] official data. Those estimates are [06:02] remarkable. The wingspan may reach [06:04] roughly 130 ft or about 40 m. That's [06:07] wider than a Boeing 737. The aircraft [06:11] may operate above 60,000 ft, remain [06:15] airborne [music] [06:16] for about 24 hours and cover distances [06:19] approaching [06:21] 22,000 km. [06:24] A conventional tail, vertical [06:26] stabilizers, exposed engine faces, and [06:29] sharp angles can return radar energy [06:33] towards the sensor. [06:34] The RQ-180 [06:36] appears to reduce those reflections [06:39] while preserving enough aerodynamic [06:42] efficiency [06:43] for very long missions. [06:46] Analysts sometimes joke that its radar [06:48] signature [music] resembles a rice cake. [06:51] That's not an official Pentagon [06:53] measurement, but it explains the [06:55] ambition. The aircraft seen in Greece [06:58] appeared to carry two prominent sensors [07:01] that are already beneath its body. One [07:03] may house a powerful electro-optical [07:06] camera. The other could contain [07:09] infrared equipment, a synthetic [07:14] aperture radar, or another classified [07:17] sensor. [07:18] Earlier reporting also suggests radio [07:20] frequency systems capable of detecting [07:23] enemy [music] [07:24] emitters and perhaps supporting [07:27] electronic attacks. [07:29] A synthetic aperture radar can build a [07:32] detailed image from radar returns even [07:36] through through the clouds or through [07:38] the darkness. [07:40] A passive electronic sensor can listen [07:44] for radar communications [07:46] and data links without announcing itself [07:49] in the same way. Optical and infrared [07:51] systems can then identify the vehicles, [07:55] the heat sources, the tunnel entrances, [07:57] and the recent [music] movement. This [07:59] combination matters because Iran's most [08:01] dangerous weapons do not sit politely on [08:04] the exposed runway. [08:07] A ballistic missile launcher can leave a [08:09] tunnel, raise its missile, fire, [08:12] and disappear within minutes. [08:15] A truck carrying an anti-ship missile [08:17] can emerge near Hormuz, launch towards a [08:19] tanker, and reverse into the warehouse. [08:22] A mobile radar can operate briefly, feed [08:26] a firing unit, then shut down before a [08:28] strike aircraft reaches the area. [08:30] Military planners call these [08:32] time-critical targets. [08:35] The problem is not knowing that a [08:37] missile was launched. [08:39] American satellites and also regional [08:41] radars can usually [music] identify the [08:42] general launch area. The problem [08:45] is following the launcher during the [08:48] short journey back to its hiding place. [08:51] That requires an eye that is already [08:53] above the target. The stealth aircraft [08:55] with long endurance [08:57] can watch the same roads, the valleys, [09:00] the industrial compounds, and the tunnel [09:03] entrances [music] for hours. It can [09:05] notice which doors open before a launch, [09:09] which vehicle moves afterwards, [09:11] >> [music] [09:11] >> and where the crew attempts to [09:12] disappear. It can then pass exact [09:15] coordinates to the Tomahawk missile, to [09:17] an armed drone, or an F-15E formation, [09:21] or another platform carrying the correct [09:24] weapon. The RQ-180 probably does not [09:27] need its own bombs because carrying [09:30] weapons externally would damage its [09:32] stealth and its endurance. [09:35] Internal weapons would consume space [09:38] that is needed for fuel, for cooling, [09:40] for sensors, and for communications. Its [09:43] power comes from allowing another [09:45] aircraft to strike while Iran remains [09:47] unsure how the target was discovered at [09:50] all. That uncertainty has military [09:53] value. If every mobile launcher risks [09:55] detection, crews stay underground for [09:58] longer because they're afraid. [10:00] Commanders communicate less. Radar [10:03] operators [10:04] >> [music] [10:04] >> hesitate before switching on their [10:07] systems. [10:08] A vehicle that never leaves its tunnel [10:10] cannot threaten Israel, [10:12] an American base, or also a commercial [10:15] ship [10:16] because they're still hiding. So, before [10:18] we continue, I'm calling on all of you [10:20] to help us share the truth. [10:22] Like this report, share it, and also [10:24] subscribe [music] to Boots on the Ground [10:26] so that you never miss another update of [10:29] what's happening in this war. What you [10:31] see on YouTube is only [music] part of [10:32] the story. And you can get the closer [10:35] firsthand report, behind-the-scene [10:37] moments, and also stories of faith, [10:39] resilience, and hope from Israel at [10:42] tbn.org/journeys/boots. [10:45] That's tbn.org/journeys/boots. [10:48] And you can also text the word boots to [10:50] 316-316 [10:53] to receive direct updates from TBN [10:55] Israel. When Matti and me are reporting [10:57] from Israel, [10:58] you're not just watching another distant [11:00] conflict. You're seeing events through [11:02] the eyes of the people who actually live [11:04] here and report from the ground. [11:07] This invisible aircraft also helps [11:09] explain a visible American [11:11] contradiction. Washington repeatedly [11:13] demonstrates that it [music] can expand [11:16] the war, [11:17] then applies the brakes. A larger strike [11:20] package was prepared. Broader targets [11:23] reportedly included transportation [11:25] links, communications, logistics hubs, [11:27] >> [music] [11:27] >> power systems, and infrastructures that [11:30] they're supporting the Revolutionary [11:31] Guards operations were also targeted. [11:34] Then, President Trump gave diplomacy [11:37] another window. Part of that decision [11:39] concerns military risk. A wider [11:42] offensive could trigger ballistic [11:44] missile and drone attacks against the [11:46] American bases, against the Gulf energy [11:48] facilities, against the shipping lanes, [11:50] and also against these land. Defensive [11:52] crew would have to send Patriot that and [11:55] also naval interceptors. [11:57] The United States can continue [11:59] attacking, but it must also calculate [12:01] the cost of the Iranian response. Oil [12:05] provides another reason. Every sign of [12:07] negotiations has pushed prices downward. [12:11] Every mine, missile, tanker, diversion, [12:13] or threat against Hormuz sends fear back [12:16] into the market. Trump wants Iranian [12:18] pressure reduced without handling Tehran [12:22] permanent control over the waterway. [12:25] There may also be a deeper strategic [12:26] calculation. One interpretation that is [12:29] presented by a former Israeli military [12:32] official and also regional analysts is [12:34] that Washington wants to break the [12:37] ruling system without breaking Iran as a [12:40] functioning country. [12:41] This is analysis, not a publicly [12:44] confirmed American policy. [12:46] There's no official document saying that [12:48] the United States intends to replace the [12:50] leadership and preserve the state for [12:52] future government. The logic, however, [12:55] deserves attention. Iran is not only the [12:58] Revolutionary Guards. [13:00] It's not only nuclear tunnels, missile [13:02] facilities, and also military ports. [13:04] It's also a country of tens of millions [13:07] of people [13:08] with power stations, refineries, [13:11] pipelines, water systems, roads, [13:14] hospitals, factories, and commercial [13:16] harbors. Destroying those systems could [13:19] weaken the regime, but it could also [13:21] leave ordinary Iranians without [13:23] electricity, fuel, clean water, [13:25] medicine, or employment. [13:28] The humanitarian damage would continue [13:30] longer after the last missile was fired. [13:33] Rebuilding could cost hundreds of [13:35] billions of dollars. [13:37] A population that opposes the Islamic [13:39] regime could still blame the United [13:41] States for destroying the country that [13:43] it hoped to inherit. There is an [13:45] economic calculation as well. [13:47] Iran possesses valuable oil and also gas [13:51] infrastructure, [13:52] skilled workers, major ports, industrial [13:55] capacity, and a large consumer market. [13:59] Under a different government, those [14:01] assets could support recovery, regional [14:04] trade, Gulf investment, and cooperation [14:07] with Western companies. A burned [14:09] refinery produces neither political [14:11] stability [14:13] nor revenue, and that creates the [14:15] strategic image of changing the driver [14:18] without driving the car into a wall. [14:22] So, [14:23] the comparison is imperfect. The [14:25] Revolutionary Guards are deeply embedded [14:27] inside Iran's energy, construction, [14:30] banking, telecommunications, and also [14:32] transportation sectors. Preserving [14:34] infrastructure may also preserve the [14:36] networks that finance repression. [14:39] Removing senior leaders while leaving [14:41] those networks untouched could produce a [14:44] new sign on the same building, and this [14:47] is why precision intelligence becomes so [14:50] important. Exact location changes the [14:53] target set. A mobile launcher can be hit [14:56] without destroying an entire industrial [14:58] district. A command vehicle leaving a [15:01] protected compound can be struck without [15:04] cutting electricity to the surrounding [15:06] cities. Trucks serving an underground [15:09] nuclear site can be tracked and [15:11] disrupted without immediately flattening [15:14] every road, bridge, and power station [15:17] that is connected to it. [15:19] The RQ-180 [15:21] offers more than just surveillance. It [15:23] offers choices. It allows Washington to [15:25] maintain pressure during negotiations. [15:29] To prepare targets without publicly [15:32] escalate and attack military systems [15:35] while preserving civilian infrastructure [15:37] when circumstances permit. [15:40] It also helps Israel by finding the [15:41] launchers and the drones that threaten [15:44] its cities before they fire. [15:47] But this is not a clean or a magical [15:49] solution. Iran uses tunnels, camouflage, [15:53] decoys, civilian buildings, underground [15:56] facilities, and also short communication [15:59] windows. [16:00] A camera can show a truck entering a [16:02] tunnel, but it cannot always reveal what [16:04] sits hundreds of feet beneath the [16:07] mountain. A stealth drone can map [16:09] activity around Peacock's mountain, but [16:11] it cannot guarantee the destruction of a [16:14] centrifuge deep inside the complex. [16:16] Precision also requires patience. [16:19] Impatience carries a price. [16:21] Every additional diplomatic pause gives [16:23] Iran time to move its equipment, to [16:26] repair the launchers, to adjust the [16:28] routes, to study the American habits, [16:31] and place more systems underground. [16:34] The same surveillance campaign that [16:36] prevents unnecessary destruction can [16:39] become an excuse to postpone a decision. [16:42] This is the real connection between the [16:44] drone and negotiations and the debate [16:47] over Iran's future. [16:49] The RQ-180 [16:51] represents the military method that [16:53] Washington appears to prefer. [16:55] Penetrate quietly, understand the [16:57] system, isolate the dangerous parts, and [16:59] strike only what must be struck. [17:03] The pause represents the political hope [17:05] that pressure can force a deal before [17:08] the United States has to attack the [17:09] foundations of the Iranian state. Iran [17:12] is testing that hope with drones, [17:14] maritime threats, missile rebuilding, [17:17] and continued nuclear activity. Israel [17:20] is warning that a pause which preserves [17:23] those capabilities is not a solution. It [17:25] is time that is purchased by the enemy. [17:28] The next stage may therefore be decided [17:30] by something almost nobody on the ground [17:32] can see. [17:34] A silent flying wing watching a launcher [17:37] emerge while leaders in Washington [17:39] decide whether to destroy the vehicle or [17:41] widen the wall all around it. [17:44] So, how long can this strategy preserve [17:46] Iran for the day after before Iran uses [17:49] the pause to prepare the next day for [17:52] fighting? What do you think about that? [17:54] Let me know in the comments. And in the [17:56] meantime, make sure [music] to keep [17:58] standing with the truth. Help us share [18:01] what's happening on the ground by [18:03] hitting the subscribe button, sharing [18:04] this video, and commenting. [18:07] Make sure to look us up on our social [18:08] media accounts, Yaakov Pinto and Mati [18:10] Shoshani, [18:12] for reports behind the ground, [18:13] >> [music] [18:14] >> and [18:15] keep praying for the situation. Pray for [18:17] wisdom to our leaders, [18:18] even if you don't agree with them. [18:21] God placed them there for a reason. [18:24] Pray for [18:25] the servicemen and women who are [18:27] fighting in this war. [18:30] Pray for the children of Israel to have [18:32] future without rockets. [18:35] And keep praying for the peace of [18:36] Jerusalem. [18:37] >> [music] [18:37] >> Thank you so much. [18:39] >> Hello, this is Mati here in Jerusalem [18:41] with TBN Israel. [18:42] >> This is Yaakov Pinto from TBN Israel [18:45] here in Jerusalem. TBN Israel is keeping [18:48] viewers informed with Israel-focused [18:50] news, culture, and what God is doing in [18:53] this land. [18:54] >> Support TBN Israel today online at [18:56] tbn.org/israel. [music] [18:58] Thank you.
