Northrop Grumman marked the beginning of a three-year flight test programme for the X-47B with a 29min flight over Edwards AFB, California, on 4 February.
After take-off at 14:09, the unmanned, tailless demonstrator climbed to 5,000ft and validated navigation software and aerodynamic control by flying several racetrack patterns over the base's vast test range.
"Designing a tailless, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft from a clean sheet is no small feat," says Janis Pamiljans, Northrop's vice president and programme manager.
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© Northrop Grumman |
The X-47B will move to Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, later this year after completing a series of tests at Edwards to expand the aircraft's aerodynamic envelope, Northrop says. Meanwhile, a second X-47B test aircraft is scheduled to join the flight test programme.
Both aircraft are designed to demonstrate that an unmanned aircraft with a tailless planform can safely operate aboard in the complex operational environment of an aircraft carrier. Carrier trials for the unmanned combat air system-demonstrator (UCAS-D) programme are scheduled to begin in 2013.
The first flight event for the X-47B comes ahead of a similar event scheduled for one of its potential rivals, which is also based at Edwards.
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© Northrop Grumman |
Boeing plans to launch a 10-flight test series with the Phantom Ray, a company-funded derivative of the X-45 developed by the US Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Previous versions of the X-47 and X-45 flew a series of test flights from 2001 to 2004 before the Department of Defense cancelled the joint unmanned combat air systems (J-UCAS) programme.
| Northrop Grumman X-47B |
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| Overall Length: |
11.6m (38.2ft) |
| Wingspan: |
18.9m (62.1ft) |
| Height: |
3.2m (10.4ft) |
| Aircraft Carrier Takeoff Gross Weight: |
About 20,412kg (44,500lb) |
| Speed: |
High subsonic |
| Power Plant: |
Pratt & Whitney F100-220U |
| Payload Provisions: |
2,041kg (4500 pounds), plus electronics |
In 2005, the Quadrennial Defense Review required the USN to restart the programme to demonstrate that such an aircraft could operate on an aircraft carrier. After awarding the UCAS-D contract to Northrop in 2007, the programme survived a cancellation threat in 2008.
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© Northrop Grumman |
Since the US Navy recommitted to the programme, the service has added an autonomous refuelling demonstration to the UCAS-D schedule. In addition, the US Air Force has joined the programme as an observer, but has not financially invested in the X-47B's development.
[Click here to watch a Northrop Grumman video showing the X-47B's first flight.]