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Phantom Ray will pick up where the UCAS program left off in 2006 by further demonstrating Boeing’s unmanned systems development capabilities in a fighter-sized, state-of-the-art aerospace system. The Boeing UCAS program began with the X-45A, which successfully flew 64 times from 2002 to 2005. Those flights included a demonstration exercise with two X-45A aircraft that marked the first unmanned, autonomous multivehicle flight under the control of a single pilot...] ...Currently planned Dec. 2, the Air Force Flight Test Center’s B-52 will carry the X-51A to 50,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean then release it. A solid rocket booster from an...

11/14/2006 - DAYTON, Ohio (AFPN) -- The Boeing X-45A unmanned combat air vehicle was officially inducted into the National Museum of the United States Air Force collection during a ceremony Nov. 13. "The X-45A is a prime example of an air vehicle that points to the future of our Air Force," said retired Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf, museum director. "Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being used, and we are excited to show the public the giant step that has been taken with these aircraft." The Boeing X-45A served as a scaled-down, advanced technology demonstrator for a project conducted by...

The Pentagon's plans for developing and eventually fielding unmanned aircraft capable of delivering munitions in high-risk battle scenarios once again are undergoing a structural change. What once was known as the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems, or J-UCAS, program is shifting from a joint Air Force and Navy program to one led solely by the Navy. The program is intended to develop and test the technologies necessary to field fleets of unmanned aircraft capable of operating on their own to attack and shut down enemy air defenses. Created in 2003, the original program merged the separate efforts of the Air...

The next generation of unmanned weapons systems entered a new phase this fall with the transition of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems, or J-UCAS, program from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to a joint Air Force-Navy management team. The program is intended to develop and test the technologies necessary to field fleets of unmanned aircraft capable of operating on their own to attack and shut down enemy air defenses. The full effect of the transition is not yet known, as funding and program decisions remain to be settled with the fiscal year 2007 budget. Created...

ST. LOUIS, August 10, 2005 – Two Boeing [NYSE: BA] Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45A unmanned aircraft successfully completed a graduation exercise when they flew their most challenging simulated combat mission today at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. "We pushed the X-45As to their limits and they responded brilliantly," said Darryl Davis, Boeing Global Strike Solutions vice president. "This incredible X-45A program made aviation history and laid the foundation for our X-45C, which will become a critical weapon in our military's arsenal." For test flights 63 and 64, the X-45As departed from the...

EDWARDS AFB - After taking a year off, the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show returns with a bang - and a boom and a roar - on Oct. 22 and 23. The free event will feature seldom-seen aircraft in the air and on the ground as the base pulls out all the stops to showcase military and civilian aviation. "It's looking real good," said Edwards spokesman John Haire of the tentative show lineup, expected to feature more flying than in recent years. Making its aerial debut at Edwards will be the unmanned Predator, used in combat...

PARIS, June 14, 2005 — The Boeing [NYSE: BA] X-45A J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems) program received the prestigious Flight International Aerospace Industry Award for 2005 in the category of Missiles and Military Aviation. Held in conjunction with the Paris Air Show, the awards cover twelve categories representing military and commercial aerospace. Darryl Davis, program manager during the majority of the X-45A flight test program, and now vice president of Boeing Global Strike Solutions, accepted the award on behalf of the Boeing/DARPA/Air Force/Navy J-UCAS team. “We met the challenge to develop an autonomous unmanned aircraft capable of handling complex...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - Two unmanned jets being developed as a robotic combat system made a coordinated flight under the control of a single pilot-operator, Boeing researchers said Tuesday. Sunday's joint flight marked the first time such a feat was accomplished, according to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems of St. Louis. The X-45A jets took off four minutes apart from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, joined up above the test range and flew formations that involved autonomous maneuvering to hold their positions relative to each other. Both jets then landed on a common...

EDWARDS AFB - A century after the first airplane flew with a pilot on board at the controls, a new generation of aircraft is emerging that removes the pilot from the vehicle altogether. These unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are the next wave in military and commercial flight systems, performing tasks that are too dangerous, tedious, strenuous or otherwise unsuitable for manned aircraft. As it has been through its long history of flight test, Edwards Air Force Base is at the epicenter of this latest trend in aviation, using its unique combination of facilities and talent to further the field....