Washington, D.C. - The X-47B is an unmanned combat air system carrier (UCAS) being developed by Northrop Grumman for the United States Navy (USN). By the end of March 2015, the USN will have picked a winner from among the four defense contractors currently being asked to design a version of the aircraft, including DARPA /(Defense Advanced Research Agency), Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. In August 2014 the USN successfully tested its X-47B (UCAS) on an aircraft carrier flight deck.
Alongside a USN F/A-18F, the unmanned Northrop Grumman X-47B completed a series of tests, which included a catapult launch and an aircraft carrier landing. This demonstrated the X-47B's ability to fly safely with manned aircraft. After an eight-minute flight, the X-47B performed an aircraft carrier landing, folded its wings, and drove itself out of the landing area. This proved the X-47B's ability to land and vacate the landing area in time for the next aircraft following closely behind it, in this case, the USN F/A-18F. See full story, www.popularscience.com.
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