. . . the Navy gets a drone, Fly-Fer the carrier, the Navy gets a drone.
Navy unveils new bat-winged stealth bomber; unmanned X-47B is military’s deadliest new drone
An unmanned, bat-winged stealth bomber made its first demo flight in California, marking the first step in the Navy’s development of a new generation of killer drones.
The experimental warplane, named the X-47B, took off from Edwards Air Force base, shot to 5,000 feet and flew a racetrack pattern over a dry lakebed during the 29-minute demo flight on Friday, the Navy said in a statement.
“Today we got a glimpse towards the future as the Navy’s first-ever tailless, jet-powered unmanned aircraft took to the skies,” said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, the program manager for the plane, said in a statement.
Military leaders see the plane as a major shift from the current fleet of robotic aircraft.
Combat drones are usually controlled remotely by human pilots, but the X-47B can carry out extended missions controlled by a computer and is designed to fly faster and farther than existing jets, like the Predators and Reapers used in Afghanistan.
It’s also the first drone capable of taking off and landing aboard an aircraft carrier in the ocean.
See also:
X-47B Sorties Ramping Up
Northrop’s X-47B robotic jet makes first flight from Edwards Air Force Base
U.S. Navy X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully conducts first flight
X-47B stealth drone takes its first test flight
X-47B Unmanned Stealth Bomber’s Maiden Flight
Lockheed Martin Supports U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman in X-47B UCAS-D Successful First Flight
Unmanned X-47B bomber successfully completes first test-flight
X-47B unmanned Stealth Bomber performs successful maiden flight
GKN Aerospace partners with U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman for X-47B first flight
New, stealthy Navy drone makes its maiden flight
Robot X-47B stealth bomber test flight
Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Unmanned X-47B Plane
X-47B UCAS
Northrop Grumman X-47B
Well, the X-47B is certainly going to take up a lot of space on board a carrier, without the ability to contribute anything towards carrier defense.
/they’re probably looking forward to using it in conjunction with the CVX Next Generation Aircraft Carrier
Filed under: Blog Entry | Tagged: Afghanistan, Aircraft Carrier, Bat-Winged, California, Combat Drones, Computer Controlled, Controlled Remotely, CVX Next Generation Aircraft Carrier, Demo Flight, Development, Drone, Dry Lakebed, Edwards Air Force Base, Existing Jets, Experimental Warplane, Extended Missions, Farther, Faster, First Flight, Future, GKN Aerospace, Human Pilots, Jaime Engdahl, Jet-Powered, Killer Drones, Landing, Lockheed Martin, Military Leaders, New Generation, Northrop Grumman, Ocean, Predators, Program Manager, Racetrack Pattern, Reapers, Robotic Aircraft, Stealth Bomber, Tailless, Taking Off, U.S. Navy, UCAS-D, Unmanned, Unmanned Aircraft, Unmanned Combat Air System, Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration, X-47B | Leave a comment »
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