Posted on 12/17/2008 2:54:45 PM PST by BenLurkin
PALMDALE - Heralded as the future of naval aviation, the X-47B unmanned combat aircraft for the Navy was unveiled Tuesday before an enthusiastic crowd at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Palmdale facility. With the Stars and Stripes as a backdrop and the strains of "Anchors Away" echoing through the hangar, the men and women who have contributed to its development greeted the cutting-edge aircraft during the afternoon ceremony.
"It stands out as being a very good-looking aircraft," said Scott Winship, Navy Unmanned Combat Air System program manager for Northrop Grumman.
A first for the Navy, the X-47B is intended to demonstrate the capability of an unmanned, stealthy aircraft to operate from a carrier.
Such an aircraft could offer the Navy the ability to provide long-range strike as well as long-endurance missions for surveillance.
"The Navy is looking for what that next generation airplane has got to have in the way of attributes," said Capt. Martin Deppe, Navy UCAS program manager. "A concept like this is certainly a candidate."
An unmanned aircraft can operate for tens of hours longer than a pilot can safely endure, providing a persistent presence over an area of interest.
"If you want persistence, if you want stealth and you want it to be Navy-based, it's going to look a lot like this," Winship said.
"The ultimate goal is for us to be able to project power around the world to help people achieve and maintain freedom," said Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, whose district includes Northrop Grumman's Palmdale facility.
The X-47B is part of a demonstration program to show how an unmanned vehicle may operate in the demanding and unique environment of an aircraft carrier.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
ping
Tell that to the USAF who pulled out of JUCAS in favor a manned plane. Their silk scarf mafia really needs to get a clue
The USAF is going to become the USAAC again within a decade. And those ex-fighter jocks are going to be scrambling for meaningful jobs that don’t involve FedEx or UPS. ;)
Wow...talk about needing to get a clue!
The smart thing would be not to put all your eggs in one basket.
It would take one sophisticated jamming and electronic warfare incident to bring this point home.
Ummmm “silk scarf mafia”?
Wow the air dominance envy is thick in here!
Dose this it's metric?
Wow the air dominance envy is thick in here!
Not really. Silk scarf mafia is USAF term anyway.
The USAF is seriously lagging in terms of serious UCAVs. It pulled out of JUCAS to support yet another manned bomber. It has nothing beyond the Predator family, even though it was the originator of the JUCAS concept and had excellent demonstrators in the form of the X-45A. The good news is that the silk scarf mafia has been declining in influence inside the USAF, though clearly not fast enough.
As for getting a clue, I suggest you attend your local AUVSI meetings and see what is being done to address the loss of control signal issues. There are multiple approaches suited to different kinds of UAVs. That what is good for a Raven is not what you use for Global Hawk. Regards, the issue has been well addressed.
Your are right about the USA is not putting all its eggs in one basket, it has the USN carriers and the acres of sovereign territory they represent.
There is still an important place for manned aviation. However there are some in the USAF that have failed to appreciate the value of a mixed UAV/Manned combat aircraft force. This is really amusing when you consider the cat fight the USAF put up to be the UAV lead service. I expect the next Chief of Staff to get that more than the current one.
Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
The only requirement for inclusion in the Navair Pinglist is an interest in Naval Aviation.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
I've never heard it.
I got a kick out of F-15 pilots referring to themselves as nazis though.
That what is good for a Raven is not what you use for Global Hawk. Regards, the issue has been well addressed.
Well what's known and what will be known it's been addressed. It's the unknown I'm worried about.
He COULDN’T spell ‘aweigh’ though.
Of course the ‘fool’ would probably argue till blue in the face that he is correct ....
Well what's known and what will be known it's been addressed. It's the unknown I'm worried about.
Like I said, AUVSI is a good place to start to alay your fears. Some of us have been working it for a long time. UAVs are not like RC models and haven't been for some time.
Now THAT’S cool!
Awesome.
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.