Second Boeing X-45A UCAV Completes First Flight

UAV NEWS

The X-45A test vehicle

St. Louis - Nov 27, 2002
The second Boeing X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle technology demonstrator has successfully completed its first flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

After taking off last Thursday from the dry lakebed at NASA-Dryden, X-45A vehicle No. 2 flew for approximately 30 minutes and reached an air speed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7,500 feet. This flight comes six months after the first flight of X-45A vehicle No. 1 on May 22.

"We're very excited about the second X-45A demonstration vehicle joining the flight test program," said Darryl Davis, Boeing UCAV program manager. "Operating two aircraft in flight test will validate the test points more rapidly, and demonstrate the robustness of the system we're developing with our Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, and the U.S. Air Force team."

After initial X-45A flight worthiness tests are completed, the maturing test process will eventually involve flying the two UCAV demonstrators in formation, operating with manned aircraft, dropping ordnance, and performing autonomous missions in simulated threat scenarios.

Toward this objective, the UCAV program successfully demonstrated in October a distributed, multi-vehicle control capability for the UCAV Mission Control Segment, or MCS. The demonstration, conducted at the Boeing Simulation Integration Laboratory in Seattle, showed how the MCS software allows a single operator to control more than one air vehicle in support of fixed target strikes and suppression of enemy air defense missions.

"I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments of the government/industry test execution team, led by Gary Cosentino of NASA and Roy Smith of Boeing," commented Col. Earl Wyatt, the DARPA UCAV program manager. "The joint team deserves a tremendous amount of the credit for the success we've demonstrated to date."

The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle represents a revolutionary new weapon system that can significantly increase the effectiveness and survivability of manned fighter aircraft while lowering the overall cost of combat operations.

In addition to the two X-45A UCAV demonstration vehicles, the UCAV program is also designing and building two more operationally representative prototypes that will demonstrate the military utility and operational value of the UCAV system.

The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle system is being developed by the Boeing Phantom Works and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems business units in partnership with DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. Phantom Works is the advanced research and development unit of Boeing, which serves as the catalyst for innovation for the enterprise.

UAV NEWS

Yemen al-Qaida Attack Appears to be Work of Unmanned CIA Plane

Washington (VOA) Nov 04, 2002
The deaths in Yemen of six suspected al-Qaida terrorists, including a key planner in the bloody attack on a American destroyer two years ago, appear to be the work of a missile fired by a unmanned U.S. aircraft.

SUPERPOWERS US Warned Not To Ignore Chinese Military Advances	NUKEWARS Pakistan, India In Tit-For-Tat Missile Tests Successful Launch of Minuteman III ICBM Do Art On A Mass Scale Kashmiris Vote As Indian And Pakistani Guns Boom India, Pakistan Back to Sparring over Kashmir
MISSILE NEWS Boeing Kinetic Warhead Technology Key to Successful Aegis Tests Northrop Grumman Tests Peripheral Vertical Launching System US Carries Out Successful Missile Defense Test Over Pacific New Technology For Straying Missiles	MISSILE DEFENSE Lockheed Martin To Study Big Target Rocket Concepts Missiles In "Position" As India Mulls Further Action Against Pakistan Abm Pullout: The Phonecall That Soured Putin's Year. Or Did It? US Official Defends Plans for Missile Defense Despite Test Failure
AEROSPACE Aurora Builds Low-speed Wind Tunnel Yeager To Retire From Military Flying After October Airshow Yeager To Retire From Military Flying After October Airshow Boeing Signs Technology Development Agreement With JAI For Work On Sonic Cruiser	UAV NEWS Second Boeing X-45A UCAV Completes First Flight Yemen al-Qaida Attack Appears to be Work of Unmanned CIA Plane Fire Scout Flight Testing Continues At Patuxent River UAV BATs A Few Direct Hits Direct Hits In U.S. Army-Northrop Grumman Tests
IRAQ WARS	MILTECH

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement