US Navy Launches Drone From An Aircraft Carrier For The First Time

Navy’s Historic Drone Launch From An Aircraft Carrier Has an Asterisk -- Danger Room

ABOARD THE U.S.S. GEORGE H.W. BUSH — At 11:19 a.m. today, for the first time in history, a plane without a pilot in it executed one of the most complex missions in aviation: launching off an aircraft carrier at sea. Only the Navy can’t yet land that drone aboard the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, an even harder but necessary maneuver if large drones are really going to operate off carriers.

On a crisp, bright and nearly cloudless day, about 100 miles off the Virginia coast, the crew of the Bush and the team behind the highly autonomous X-47B loaded up the deck’s second catapult with the drone and shot it off into the sky above the eastern Atlantic. The drone — which has its own callsign, “Salty Dog 502″ — turned downwind and passed over the ship twice, first from 1000 feet overhead and then from 60 feet overhead, before flying back to dry land in Maryland. The launch went exactly as the Navy hoped.

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More News On Today's US Navy Drone Launch From An Aircraft Carrier

X-47 Unmanned Aircraft Makes Successful Launch -- Navy Times
Naval Air Forces Commander Calls X-47B Catapult Launch from USS George H.W. Bush a Pivotal Moment in Naval Aviation -- Navy.mil
Navy Makes History With Unmanned Carrier Launch -- USNI
U.S. Navy makes aviation history with carrier drone launch -- Reuters
Navy launches unmanned aircraft from carrier for first time -- FOX News/AP
US drone catapults off a carrier: Navy -- AFP
Navy's X-47B drone completes first carrier takeoff -- NBC News
Navy launches unmanned warplane off carrier Bush -- Virginian Pilot
Navy catapults drone from aircraft carrier -- CNN
The Navy's X-47B stealth drone just took off from an aircraft carrier -- Killer Apps/Foreign Policy
Drone is catapulted off aircraft carrier in milestone flight test -- L.A. Times
X-47B Completes a Carrier Takeoff -- Popular Mechanics
Inside The Navy's Historic Embrace Of At-Sea Combat Drones -- Fast Company
X-47B makes historic carrier launch -- CNet News
Navy Catches the Drone Bug -- Wall Street Journal
The case for sea-based drones -- David Axe, Reuters
X-47B: Navy Drone Launches Off Aircraft Carrier; A New Tailhook Era -- Breaking Defense

Update: YouTube: Five videos of the first X-47B carrier-based launch and landing.

X-47B First Arrested Carrier-Style Landing

Northrop Hits Key Milestone With X-47B -- UT San Diego

Northrop Grumman of Rancho Bernardo says it reached an important milestone on May 4th when its X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator drone successfully performed its first shore-based arrested landing at Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland.

Northrop is developing the X-47B with the Navy for possible use on aircraft carriers. Saturday's test was a last step toward the vehicle's first take-offs and landings aboard a carrier, which are currently scheduled for later this month.

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More News On The X-47B's First Arrested Carrier-Style Landing

X-47B Completes Key Milestone as it Prepares for Carrier Tests at Sea -- Avionics Intelligence
Navy's X-47B drone makes first carrier-style landing -- NBC
Watch This Navy Robot Make a Top-Gun Move -- Danger Room
Navy's X-47B makes first arrested landing -- CNet
X-47B Drone Makes Successful Landing In Simulation -- Ubergizmo

X-47B UCAS Catapult Testing

First Taxi Of The X-47B UCAS On The Deck Of The USS Harry S. Truman (Videos)

WNU Editor: For more videos of the X-47B on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, check the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad855B3EzSQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdY-V0uqaHQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85nAZ0ZmRq4

WNU Editor: A thanks to Brooks McKinney, Senior Manager, Public Relations Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems for these videos.

First Taxi Of The X-47B UCAS On The Deck Of The USS Harry S. Truman (Pics)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 9, 2012) The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator taxies on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Harry S. Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. Harry S. Truman is underway supporting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kristina Young/Released)

WNU Editor: For more pics of the X-47B on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, check the following:

http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=141113

http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=141118

http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=141114

http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=141115

http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=141116

WNU Editor: A thanks to Brooks McKinney, Senior Manager, Public Relations Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems for these pics.

X-47B Inaugural Land-Based Catapult Launch

WNU Editor: Another cool video of the X-47B being hoisted is below.

The X-47B Stealth Drone Up Close And Personal

Exclusive Pics: The Navy’s Unmanned, Autonomous ‘UFO’ -- Danger Room

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland — If you saw it in person, you’d probably think it was a UFO, too.

That’s what happened when the Navy trucked its batwing-shaped drone of the future from California to its new testing bed here in Maryland. Across the country, 911 switchboards lit up with reports that mysterious trucks were hauling a spaceship. In truth, it was a demonstration model for something the Navy desperately wants: to launch an armed, spying, stealthy drone from an aircraft carrier, one of the hardest maneuvers in aviation, conducted with the click of a mouse. But up close, you can see why people freaked out.

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More News On The X-47B

U.S. Navy reveals deadly stealth plane mistaken for UFO on Washington D.C. highway -- Daily Mail
The X-47B Stealth Drone Will Now Be Flying Over The East Coast -- Business Insider
X-47B unmanned aircraft gets its Pax River wings -- Gizmag
Navy's X-47B UCAV in Debut Flight at Pax -- Ares/Aviation Week

First Phase Of Testing Completed For US Navy's X-47B

US Navy X-47B Robot Fighter Jet Completes First Phase Of Testing -- Forbes

The Navy’s robotic fighter just got one step closer to earning its wings. The X-47B, an unmanned stealth attack jet, has completed the first major phase of flight testing on its way to become the first aircraft to be able to land and take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier –completely autonomously.

After its first successful flight on February 4, 2011 at Edwards Air Force Base – a short, 29 minute jaunt to 5,000 feet – the X-47B has now climbed to as much as 15,000 feet. The testing, which concluded on May 15, ran the jet through multiple maneuvers that are essential for using an aircraft carrier as its base of operations including extending and retracting a tail hook needed to catch the carrier’s arresting wires upon landing and “touch-and-go” landings.

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My Comment: They are definitely rushing this program forward.

Ultimate Weapons- X-47B (Video)

The X-47B

Who's Really Flying The Plane? -- CNN

(CNN) -- The last time you flew, did you wonder what's really going on behind that closed cockpit door? Who's actually flying the plane? Is it a human being, or Capt. Autopilot?

Based on its record, America leads the commercial airline industry in safety. And for most passengers, that information alone provides all the confidence in the world.

But there will always be nervous fliers who need to know: Who are they trusting with their lives, human or machine?

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My Comment: Impressive .... so far.

U.S. Navy Pushing For A Faster Deployment Of The X-47B

Silicon All The Way -- Strategy Page

March 20, 2012: The U.S. Navy wants its new carrier based UAVs to understand the hand signals deck crews use to direct pilots of aircraft around the flight deck. This is because, as the U.S. Navy hustles to ready its X-47B for carrier landings, attention has also been paid to how deck crew would communicate with the UAV once it had landed. Currently, UAVs like this are moved around the landing area by their remote operators. For the U.S. Air Force, this involves a local operator, not the ones, based in the U.S. that operates these UAVs remotely via a satellite link. While the navy could go with a hand held device (like a video game controller) it would be simpler if there were pattern recognition software for one of the X-47Bs cameras that would recognize and interpret the deck crew hand signals.

The X-47B will begin landing on, and taking off from, carriers next year. Take-offs are relatively easy. The hard part is landing. Software has already been developed for this, and last year a manned carrier aircraft (an F-18), using the X-47B automated landing software, successfully landed on a carrier. Actually, this kind of software has been in development for over a decade, to make it easier for human pilots to land on carriers (the most difficult type of landing). It was not a major leap to make this software even more powerful and reliable. When the X-47Bs begin landing on carriers, it will be silicon all the way.

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My Comment: For more info on the X-47b, go here and here.

More Videos On The Navy's X-47B Drone Program

More News On The X-47B

UFO-Like Drone Hits Cruise Mode -- MSNBC

A stealth U.S. Navy drone — one designed to take off from and land on moving aircraft carriers at sea — successfully retracted its landing gear and flew in cruise configuration for the first time, engineers announced today.

The test flight at Edwards Air Force Base on Sept. 30 also helped validate the hardware and software that will allow the X-47B to land with precision at sea, among the harshest aviation environments known, said the drone's maker, Northrop Grumman.

The tail-less plane is 38 feet long and has a 62-foot wingspan. In the images released today it looks like a UFO straight out of a 1950s cartoon.

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My Comment: I have been posting on the X-47B for the past two weeks (see here, here, and here) .... and I must confess that I cannot get enough info on this fascinating program. But I can promise one thing .... expect a lot more posts on this aviation marvel in the future.

Exclusive New Photos Of The Navy's X-47B

(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Currently, two X-47Bs are under construction. They're intended to validate the idea that UAVs can operate safely from aircraft carriers.

UAV Or UFO? Exclusive New Photos Of The Navy's X-47B -- Popular Mechanics

The U.S. Navy's new prototype aircraft looks out of this world, but it's actually a stealth UAV that will operate from aircraft carriers. PM got some exclusive new pictures of this futuristic flyer.

No, it's not a UFO. This is the U.S. Navy's latest unmanned strike airplane, the X-47B. The Northrop Grumman–built stealth aircraft is currently flight testing. In 2013, these prototype planes will be used to demonstrate the first carrier-based launches and recoveries by an autonomous, low-observable unmanned aircraft.

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My Comment: Cool.

X-47B Drone Getting Ready For Sea Trials

Future: In addition to the planned carrier launches and landings in 2013, the program will also demonstrate the ability of the X-47B to conduct autonomous aerial refuelling operations in 2014

Rise Of The Machines: Navy's First Unmanned Stealth Drone One Step Closer To Aircraft Carrier Landing -- Daily Mail

The U.S. Navy's latest stealth drone has completed a series of rigorous summer flight tests - taking it one step closer to its first automated carrier landing.

Reaching speeds of 180 knots, two experimental X-47B drones have completed their summer test schedule to evaluate software and other modifications before the first test aircraft carrier landing in 2013.

While the X-47B is expected to usher in a new era of unmanned aircraft, critics have raised concerns over the lack of human control in increasingly deadly military hardware.

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Update: Exclusive: Northrop's Carrier Drone Tops 180 Knots in Navy Tests -- Aol Defense

My Comment: The US Navy has been slow in developing its own versions of drones. The X-47B makes up for this delay.

X-47B UCAS Flight Test Highlights -- Summer 2011

WNU Editor: The U.S. Air Force story on this maiden flight is here.

My Comment: Cool video and soundtrack

Hat Tip: Defense Industry Daily

A U.S. Naval UAV Fleet?

USN Wants To Replace F-35s With UAVs -- Strategy Page

September 11, 2011: Six months after the U.S. Navy’s first full size combat UAV made its first flight, the U.S. Navy leadership has ordered naval aviation leaders to examine the possibility of reducing orders for the new F-35B and F-35C, and use that money to buy the new X-47B, and similar robotic combat aircraft. That move was probably helped along by DARPA (the Department of Defense’s research organization), which earlier this year decided to explore development of robotic ground support aircraft. This program involves two separate efforts. In one, DARPA will turn F-16s, F-18s and A-10s into unmanned ground support aircraft, to see if they can perform as well as the manned versions. In addition, DARPA will seek designs that improve on the performance of the current MQ-9 Reaper. DARPA wants its experimental aircraft operating within two years. The navy currently plans to buy 680 F-35B and F-35C aircraft, for (on average) $100 million each. A UCAS (Unmanned Combat Aerial System) costs less than half that, and provides most of the same capabilities.

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Update: US Navy Wants To Replace F-35s With X-47B and other full size UAVs -- Next Big Future

My Comment: This is news that the F-35 manufacturers do not want to hear.

What The Navy Wants The X-47B To Do

The X-47B in Flight Northrop Grumman

The Navy's X-47B Will Be So Autonomous, You Can Steer It With Mouse Clicks -- Popular Science

To fly the military’s baddest, most technologically advanced planes, you once had to have what Tom Wolfe called “that righteous stuff,” the willingness to strap yourself to a jet-fuel laden machine and push it to the very limits of its mechanical capabilities. Nowadays, unmanned systems have taken the human danger out of some combat missions, though human pilots remain at the sticks.

But not for long. The Navy’s experimental X-47B combat system won’t be remotely piloted, but almost completely autonomous. Human involvement won’t be of the stick-and-rudder variety, but handled with simple mouse clicks.

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My Comment: The key is software, as revealed by this bit of information ....

.... reps from both Northrop Grumman (maker of the X-47B) and the Navy said the X-47B would be piloted not by human handlers in some steel box in Nevada, but by 3.4 million lines of software code.

Skynet, here we come.

More News On The X-47B

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home -- Wall Street Journal

The Navy's X-47B, Built by Northrop Grumman, Won't Need to Be Operated From Land; Tailless Plane Passes Early Test.

The U.S. Navy said it made a breakthrough in drone technology with the first flight of the X-47B, a bat-winged unmanned jet designed to take off and land from an aircraft carrier, one of the most complex and difficult feats in aviation.

Capt. Jaime Engdahl, the Navy's program manager, said the most difficult part of a combat mission for Navy pilots was landing an aircraft back aboard ship. "We're making that challenge with unmanned vehicles today," he said.

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More News On The Navy's X-47B

Unmanned Navy Stealth Bomber's Maiden Flight -- FOX News
New, stealthy Navy drone makes its maiden flight -- MSNBC
X-47B Unmanned Stealth Bomber's Maiden Flight -- CBS
Robot X-47B stealth bomber test flight -- BBC
The Future of War -- Time Magazine
Navy unveils new bat-winged stealth bomber; unmanned X-47B is military's deadliest new drone (VIDEO) -- New York Daily News
U.S. Navy UCAS-D completes successful first flight -- Defence Professionals
Unmanned stealth drone X-47B takes first test flight -- Wired
Bat-winged drone bomber in test flight: US Navy -- AFP
The Navy's fearsome robotic stealth fighter takes to the skies -- Dvice
Lockheed Martin Supports U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman in X-47B UCAS-D Successful First Flight -- PR Newswire
X-47B robot stealth plane makes first flight -- CNET
X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle makes historic first flight -- Defence Web
Navy flight tests new UAV for carriers -- UPI
Initial X-47B flight a success, Northrop says -- Navy Times

New Video Of the X-47B Bat-Winged Stealth Bomber

Navy Unveils New Bat-Winged Stealth Bomber; Unmanned X-47B Is Military's Deadliest New Drone (VIDEO) -- New York Daily News

An unmanned, bat-winged stealth bomber made its first demo flight in California, marking the first step in the Navy's development of a new generation of killer drones.

The experimental warplane, named the X-47B, took off from Edwards Air Force base, shot to 5,000 feet and flew a racetrack pattern over a dry lakebed during the 29-minute demo flight on Friday, the Navy said in a statement.

"Today we got a glimpse towards the future as the Navy's first-ever tailless, jet-powered unmanned aircraft took to the skies," said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, the program manager for the plane, said in a statement.

Military leaders see the plane as a major shift from the current fleet of robotic aircraft.

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My Comment: Pretty cool if you ask me.