Yet another update on the US Navy's X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator - this time unashamedly because I like this picture released by Northrop Grumman.
Northrop says deck trials of X-47B air vehicle AV-2 on the USS Truman from Nov 27 to Dec 17 demonstrated the ability to maneuver the fighter-sized unmanned aircraft on the flightdeck using a wireless handheld controller. Tests included maneuvering the aircraft up to the catapults, taxiing over the arresting cables and moving up and down the elevator.
"The X-47B deck trials proved convincingly that the design and operation of the aircraft are fully compatible with the rhythm and operational requirements of the carrier flight deck," Mike Mackey, Northrop's UCAS-D program director is quoted as saying. Tests proved the aircraft can operate in the hostile electromagnetic environment of a carrier, he adds.
Graham Warwick-aviationweek
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