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Northrop Grumman X-47B

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The Northrop Grumman X-47B is an American demonstration unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) which first flew in 2011. The X-47 project began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and is now part of the United States Navy's UCAS-D (Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration) program, which aims to create a carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Unlike the similar Boeing X-45, the development of the aircraft's predecessor, the X-47A Pegasus, was company-funded.

X-47B UCAS-D
The Northrop Grumman X-47B during its first takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in February 2011.
Role Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle
Manufacturer Northrop Grumman
First flight 4 February 2011
Primary user United States Navy
Developed from X-47A Pegasus

Design and development

The US Navy did not commit to practical UCAV efforts until 2000, when the service awarded contracts of US$2 million each to Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a 15-month concept-exploration program.[1] Design considerations for a naval UCAV included dealing with the corrosive saltwater environment, deck handling for launch and recovery, integration with command and control systems, and operation in an aircraft carrier's high-electromagnetic-interference environment. The Navy was also interested in procuring UCAVs for reconnaissance missions, penetrating protected airspace to identify targets for following attack waves.[2]

The J-UCAS program was terminated in February 2006 following the US military's Quadrennial Defense Review. The US Air Force and US Navy proceeded with their own UAV programs. The Navy selected Northrop Grumman's X-47B as its unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D) program.[3] The X-47B carries no weapons, but has a full-sized weapons bay. In order to provide realistic testing, the demonstration vehicle is the same size and weight as the projected operational craft.[4][5][6]

The X-47B prototype rolled out from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on December 16, 2008. Its first flight was planned for November 2009, but the flight was delayed as the project fell behind schedule. On December 29, 2009, Northrop Grumman oversaw towed taxi tests of the aircraft at the Palmdale facility,[7] with the aircraft taxiing under its own power for the first time in January 2010.

The first flight of the X-47B demonstrator, designated Air Vehicle 1 (AV-1), took place at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on February 4, 2011.[8][9] The aircraft first flew in cruise configuration with its landing gear retracted on September 30, 2011.[10] A second X-47B demonstrator, designated AV-2, conducted its maiden flight at Edwards Air Force Base on November 22, 2011.[11]

The two X-47B demonstrators are planned to have a three-year test program at Edwards AFB and NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, culminating in sea trials in 2013.[12][11] The aircraft will be used to demonstrate carrier launches and recoveries, as well as autonomous inflight refueling with a probe and drogue. The X-47B has a maximum unrefueled range of over 2,000 miles (3,200 km), and an endurance of more than six hours.[13] In November 2011, the Navy announced that aerial refuelling equipment and software would be added to one of the prototype aircraft in 2014.[14] In 2012, Northrop Grumman tested a wearable remote control system, designed to allow ground crews to guide the X-47B into precise carrier landings.[15] In May 2012, AV-1 began high-intensity electromagnetic interference testing at Patuxent River, to test its compatibility with planned electronic warfare systems.[16] In June 2012, AV-2 arrived at Patuxent River to begin a series of tests, including arrested landings and catapult launches, to validate the ability of the aircraft to conduct precision approaches to an aircraft carrier.[17]

Costs

The project was initially funded under a US$635.8-million contract awarded by the Navy in 2007. However, by January 2012, the X-47B's total program cost had grown to an estimated $813 million.[18]

Variants

X-47A

Original proof-of-concept prototype with a 19-foot (5.9-m) wingspan, first flown in 2003.

X-47B

Demonstrator aircraft, first flown in 2011.

X-47C

Proposed larger version with a payload of 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) and a wingspan of 172 ft (52.4 m).[19]

Specifications (X-47B)

General characteristics

  • Crew: None aboard (semi-autonomous operation)
  • Fuel capacity: 717 kg

Performance Armament

  • 2 weapon bays, providing for up to 4,500 lb (2,000 kg) of ordnance[13]

Avionics

  • Provisions for EO/IR/SAR/ISAR/GMTI/MMTI/ESM[13]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ "DARPA And Navy Select Naval UCAV Contractors". US DoD, 20 June 2000.
  2. ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology, "Tailless Tailhooker: Autonomous U.S. Navy X-plane flight marks sea change toward unmanned carrier aviation", 14 February 2011, p. 28.
  3. ^ X-47 Pegasus Naval Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N), USA. Airforce-Technology.com. Retrieved: 11 June 2009.
  4. ^ "US Navy's robot stealth carrier plane unveiled". The Register, 18 December 2008
  5. ^ "Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems X-47B UCAS overview", Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems
  6. ^ "Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Reveals First Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft". Northrop Grumman news release, Dec. 16, 2008.
  7. ^ Morring, Frank (January 11, 2010). "Taxi Tests for UCAS-D". Aviation Week. McGraw-Hill: 15.
  8. ^ "Northrop UCAS-D Completes First Flight" Aviation Week, Feb 4 2011
  9. ^ "Edwards flight engineers perform first X-47B flight" US Airforce Feb 7 2011
  10. ^ Roach, John. "UFO-like drone hits cruise mode". MSNBC. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  11. ^ a b "Navy's Second Stealthy X-47B Drone Flies". DefenseTech.org, 28 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  12. ^ "X-47B UCAS". Northrop Grumman. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  13. ^ a b c X-47 UCAS-D (PDF). Northrop Grumman, 5 April 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
  14. ^ "Navy to outfit an X-47B prototype with refueling gear". Defense Systems, 7 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  15. ^ "The next step in directing drones: hand signals". Navy Times, 1 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
  16. ^ "Electronic Blast Slated for Unmanned Attack Aircraft". Aviation Week, 3 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  17. ^ "Beltway UFO" has DC Talking". NBC Washington, 14 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
  18. ^ "New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who's accountable?" Los Angeles Times, 26 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  19. ^ Sweetman, Bill. "Ultra Stealth". Aviation Week, May 26, 2008.
 
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