J-UCAS concern as X-45s ready for co-ordinated strike

Boeing’s two X-45A unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAV) are expected to conduct their first autonomous co-ordinated attack this week, but the ground-breaking demonstration is drawing to a close with key details of the follow-on Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) programme still to be decided.

The multi-ship co-ordinated attack was demonstrated earlier this month with one X-45A and the Lockheed T-33 used by Boeing as a manned UCAV surrogate. This cleared the final Block 4 software load to enter the last phase of the demonstration, which culminates in July with an autonomous live-weapon attack.

During the co-ordinated attack, the X-45s will be “constrained only by the range boundaries”, says Darryl Davis, Boeing vice-president, global strike solutions. “The aircraft will work together to decide in real time which is in the best place to take the synthetic-aperture radar [target] image, and which is the attack aircraft.” While Block 4 is the final standard for the X-45A demonstrators, it is the starting point for the Block 10 software standard under development for the larger X-45C vehicles Boeing is building to fly alongside Northrop Grumman X-47Bs in the J-UCAS operational assessment from 2007.

Transition from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-led demonstration to the US Air Force-led J-UCAS programme is set for 1 October, “but we don’t know exactly what to look for yet”, says Davis. The programme is being restructured after a significant budget cut, and could to be stretched by up to three years, with operational assessment at Holloman AFB, New Mexico continuing to 2012.

In a major milestone, the unique consortium responsible for developing the J-UCAS common operating system (COS) has delivered its first of three software loads, Build 0 Release 1.0, which includes “middleware” to run the mission application software. Consortium members Boeing and Northrop are responsible for integrating the COS into their respective vehicles.

GRAHAM WARWICK/WASHINGTON DC

Source: Flight International