Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Northrop Grumman wins $635.8M UAS contract
UPI ^ | 08/06/07

Posted on 08/07/2007 8:52:19 AM PDT by nypokerface

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman has won a $635.8 million U.S. contract to carry out at-sea carrier launches and recoveries with a fixed-wing unmanned air system.

The program will involve Northrop Grumman's X-47B unmanned air system, or UAS, and will be the first set of trials with such a system ever carried out at sea, the company said in a statement Friday.

"The Navy's program, known as the Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D), will demonstrate the capability of an autonomous, low-observable air vehicle. The UCAS-D effort will mature critical technologies, reduce unmanned air system carrier integration risks and provide information necessary to support a potential follow-on acquisition milestone," Northrop Grumman said.

"We are proud of our legacy of innovation and creativity in developing new combat capabilities and are pleased to be selected to lead this revolutionary advancement in unmanned systems capabilities," said Scott Seymour, president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.

"The UCAS-D award is the culmination of several years of effort with the Navy to show the benefit of melding the capabilities of a survivable, persistent, long-range UCAS with those of the aircraft carrier," said Gary Ervin, vice president for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Western Region sector. "The UCAS-D program will reduce the risk of eventual integration of unmanned air systems into carrier environments."

Northrop Grumman said it would construct two air vehicles and conduct technology maturation activities for the program. "The first air vehicle is scheduled to fly in late 2009 and will begin a series of detailed flight envelope and land-based carrier integration and qualification events beginning in 2010. The first at-sea carrier landings are planned for late 2011 with follow-on analysis and program completion by 2013," the company said.

Northrop Grumman said the X-47B air vehicles would be put together in Palmdale, Calif., by an industrial team that involved Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, GE Aviation, Honeywell, Eaton Aerospace, Moog Inc., Wind River, Goodrich, Parker Aerospace, Dell, Hamilton Sundstrand and Rockwell Collins.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: aerospace; defensecontractors; defensespending; navair; northropgrumman; thewayforward; uav; ucasd

1 posted on 08/07/2007 8:52:20 AM PDT by nypokerface
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Vroomfondel; SC Swamp Fox; Fred Hayek; NY Attitude; P3_Acoustic; Bean Counter; investigateworld; ...
SONOBUOY PING!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium volume pinglist.

2 posted on 08/07/2007 8:55:45 AM PDT by magslinger (Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors. And miss. R.A.Heinlein)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nypokerface

A very impressive piece of aircraft. I hope they can avoid the gremlins and other setbacks and it becomes part of the arsenal ahead of the dates they are working with now.

There is a photo of it here, if anyone is interested:http://www.spacedaily.com/news/uav-05zv.html


3 posted on 08/07/2007 9:15:03 AM PDT by WildcatClan (Hunter '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nypokerface

You’re always going to need some manned-aircraft in the fleet, but we may be looking at the beginning of the end of the era of domination by manned pilots. If these things work out, I could easily see carriers going to a mix of 1/3rd manned aircraft, and 2/3’rd unmanned.

And keep this in mind....one day, artificial intelligence tech will be advanced enough to just program these things and let them go off on their own.


4 posted on 08/07/2007 9:57:27 AM PDT by DesScorp
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nypokerface; magslinger; WildcatClan; Grampa Dave; devolve; potlatch; gonzo; alfa6; ...

UNMANNED PARKING SPACE

5 posted on 08/07/2007 10:08:15 AM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nypokerface

Sorry Naval aviators, but you have seen the “last days” of Top Gun glory. UAVs are here to stay.


6 posted on 08/07/2007 10:11:07 AM PDT by meandog (Bush's name now synonymous with every bad word known.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: meandog
UAVs are definitely here to stay, but our AI is still unable to react in all situations. The vehicles may be unmanned, but that doesn't mean that air superiority fighters won't still need to be piloted by remote.

We are going to have to go to UAVs for air superiority to move beyond the physical limitations of having a pilot in the aircraft, but that doesn't mean that we are moving beyond the need for pilots.

It may also be impossible to keep pilots too far out of harms way do to latency issues in the remote control.

The technology is changing, but that doesn't mean the need for skilled people disappears. It might end the need for piloted landings on aircraft carriers, which might take some thrill out of the job, but I'd rather have our pilots safe.

7 posted on 08/07/2007 10:50:00 AM PDT by untrained skeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: untrained skeptic
In the mid-1970s I worked on some projects and proposals involving unmanned aircraft such as the Ryan Firebee. In those days the USAF, at least, insisted on the term "RPV" for "Remote Piloted Vehicle". The airplane drivers' union wanted full representation. I can't really blame them too much, because the common term for such aircraft up to then had been "Drone".
8 posted on 08/07/2007 11:39:02 AM PDT by 19th LA Inf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: nypokerface
...Moog Inc.,

Looks like we got a piece of the action. Great.

Of course we also have contracts with Lockheed and a few of the others so who knows how much work is coming our way.

9 posted on 08/07/2007 5:19:23 PM PDT by Jorge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PhilDragoo
The information coming my way is that autonomous functions are moving along quickly. Humans are in the loop of course. Development currently assumes near earth space superiority, which is where we will probably see the most critically important combat.

Taiwan Straits - Blockade of China war machine, like the Virginias.

10 posted on 08/08/2007 12:34:25 AM PDT by Iris7 ("Do not live lies!" ...Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Iris7
Very nice device.
11 posted on 08/08/2007 8:30:12 AM PDT by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: potlatch; PhilDragoo; ntnychik; dixiechick2000; Travis McGee; Jeff Head; Seadog Bytes; Czar; ...




12 posted on 08/08/2007 5:02:34 PM PDT by devolve ( _Google-Illegals_Killed_25_Americans_Each_Day _A_Mex_Illegal_Alien_Sold_911_Terrorists_IDs_)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: devolve

Outstanding (again)!


13 posted on 08/08/2007 6:13:32 PM PDT by Czar ( StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: devolve

Looks good devolve.


14 posted on 08/08/2007 6:28:49 PM PDT by potlatch (MIZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_MIKAZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_MAZARU_ooo_‹(•¿•)›_ooo_))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson