US defence company Northrop Grumman has completed the first test flight of its new X-47B stealth drone.
The tailless, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft took off from
Edwards Air Force Base in California, and stayed in the air for 29
minutes. It climbed to an altitude of 5,000 feet and flew a few
racetrack-style patterns to prove its maneuverability.
The prototype jet marks a new breed of drone -- one that
straddles a middle ground between a UAV and typical stealth bomber. Unlike propeller driven UAVs, such as the Predator and Reaper, the X-47B is virtually
invisible to radar and flies at much faster speeds. But it's also
significantly smaller than the firm's own B-2 Bomber, and is
Its biggest selling point, though, is the ability to take
off from, and land back on an aircraft carrier. This will give it a
much greater range than other remote-controlled aircraft. But it needs impeccable guidance
and navigation to achieve this without putting the safety of the
carrier's sailors at risk. This test flight is the first step
towards that goal, and the team hopes to demonstrate actual carrier
launches and recoveries in 2013.
The tailless jet has a number of other impressive claims,
too. It has a wingspan of 62.1 feet, a maximum payload of 4,500
pounds, a range of more than 2,100 nautical miles and a maximum
altitude of 40,000 feet. From that height it can gather
intelligence or perform precision attacks. It can also be refuelled
in mid-air (receiving fuel from a tanker plane), to stay airborne
Northrop Grumman's X-47B has been developed under a six-year,
$635 million (£393 million) Navy contract, awarded to the defence
firm in 2007. It will now undergo several more trials before
maritime and carrier tests begin in 2013.