Boeing YQM-94 B-Gull

Boeing · United States · first flew 1973 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Boeing YQM-94 B-Gull was a high-altitude long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed for the US Air Force Compass Cope programme, designed to sustain very-high-altitude flight for extended periods using a buried turbofan engine. It won the Compass Cope fly-off against the Ryan YQM-98.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Single turbofan buried in the fuselage with dorsal intake
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

High-altitude long-endurance unmanned drone winner of USAF Compass Cope competition
Gull-wing configuration with high-mounted straight wings
Single turbofan buried in the fuselage with dorsal intake

Distinguished by its exceptionally long straight high-mounted wings — the 27.43 m span dwarfs the 12.8 m fuselage — giving it a pronounced sailplane-like appearance with a buried engine.

Specifications

The Boeing YQM-94 B-Gull has a length of 12.8 m (42 ft).
It has a wingspan of 27.43 m (90 ft).
Typical crew: 0 (unmanned).

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1973, the YQM-94 was selected over its Ryan competitor in the Compass Cope evaluation. However, despite winning the competition, the programme was cancelled before production due to budget constraints and changing USAF priorities, with technology feeding into later UAV developments.

Variants

A single prototype was built and flown; no production variant was ordered.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; the programme was cancelled after the competitive evaluation.

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