U.S. Navy X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully conducts first flight

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U.S. Navy X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully conducts first flight

2011-02-09 08:33:01 GMT+7 (ICT)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- The Northrop Grumman Corporation said its U.S. Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft successfully completed its historic first flight last Friday.

Conducted by a U.S. Navy/Northrop Grumman test team, the flight took off at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California at 2:09 p.m. local time and lasted 29 minutes.

Taking off under hazy skies, the X-47B climbed to an altitude of 5,000 feet, flew several racetrack-type patterns, and landed safely at 2:38 p.m. local time. The flight provided test data to verify and validate system software for guidance and navigation, and the aerodynamic control of the tailless design.

The event marked a critical step in the program, moving the team forward to meet the demonstration objectives of a tailless fighter-sized unmanned aircraft to safely take off from and land on the deck of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

"First flight represents the compilation of numerous tests to validate the airworthiness of the aircraft, and the robustness and reliability of the software that allows it to operate as an autonomous system and eventually have the ability to take-off and land aboard an aircraft carrier," said Captain Jaime Engdahl, the Navy's UCAS-D program manager.

As with all test programs, first flight represents the culmination, verification and certification of pre-flight system data collected and analyzed by both the Navy and Northrop Grumman.

Airframe proof load tests, propulsion system accelerated mission tests, software maturity and reliability simulations, full system taxi tests, and numerous other system test activities were all completed and certified prior to first flight.

The aircraft will remain at Edwards AFB for flight envelope expansion before transitioning to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, later this year. There, the system will undergo additional tests to validate its readiness to begin testing in the maritime and carrier environment. The UCAS-D program is preparing the X-47B for carrier trials in 2013.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-09

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Skynet here we come.