X-47B Takes off The U.S. Navy's Northrop Grumman developed X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System made its debut flight from Naval Air Sta...
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| X-47B Takes off |
The U.S. Navy's Northrop Grumman developed X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System made its debut flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, on Sunday, July 29.
The 36-minute flight marks the first time an autonomous, carrier-capable unmanned system has flown at Pax River. The flight is also a major milestone on the path to beginning carrier suitability testing this fall.
Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the Navy's UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The company designed and built two X-47B demonstrator aircraft for the program, which is managed by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).
During the flight, which comprised two precision racetrack patterns over the Chesapeake Bay, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 7,500 feet and a maximum air speed of 180 knots.This flight makes two critical points for the Northrop Grumman/Navy Integrated Test Team," said Daryl Martis, Northrop Grumman's X-47B test director. "It validates the performance of the aircraft demonstrated during its initial flight testing at Edwards, and it proves that we've successfully implemented the command and control structure required to operate the X-47B safely from Pax River
During the flight, the aircraft communicated with a shore-based version of the aircraft carrier systems that will help guide the X-47B to precision landings on the carrier deck, which are located in the Navy UCAS Aviation/Ship Integration Facility at Pax River.
In 2013, the UCAS-D program plans to demonstrate the ability of the X-47B to safely operate from a Navy aircraft carrier, including launch, recovery, and air traffic control operations. Those trials will be followed by a demonstration of autonomous aerial refueling in 2014. The program also plans to mature technologies required for potential future Navy unmanned air system programs.
