Article Posted on : - Jun 15, 2012

X-47B unmanned aircraft. Photo: Northrop Grumman Corp.

SAN DIEGO (BNS): The first major phase of flight testing the US Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator aircraft has concluded successfully, Northrop said.

The airworthiness test phase, which comprised 23 flights by two air vehicles, proved that the X-47B will perform properly at all speeds, weights and altitudes associated with the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) programme, it said.

The flights included tests of several aircraft maneuvers required in the carrier environment, helping to reduce risks associated with operating a tailless, unmanned aircraft from a Navy aircraft carrier.

While at Edwards AFB, the X-47B aircraft reached altitudes exceeding 15,000 feet and demonstrated multiple maneuvers relevant to carrier operations, including extending and retracting a tail hook, completing an autonomous "touch-and-go" landing - an aviation first - and performing landings at a high sink rate and in a heavy weight configuration.

The Northrop Grumman team is currently finalizing the software that will be required to enter carrier suitability testing of the X-47B. That testing will include catapult launches, arrested landings and wireless remote deck handling of the aircraft.

The first X-47B was moved to Patuxent River in December 2011. It is currently undergoing electromagnetic interference testing, which is designed to demonstrate that the X-47B is compatible with the electromagnetic signal environment of an aircraft carrier.

In 2013, the UCAS-D programme plans to demonstrate the ability of the tailless, autonomous, low-observable relevant X-47B demonstrator to operate safely from a Navy aircraft carrier, including launch, recovery, bolter and wave-off performance.

Demonstration of autonomous aerial refueling by the X-47B is planned for 2014.

Northrop Grumman is the US Navy's prime contractor for the UCAS-D programme.