U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Complete X-47B Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Move Second Unmanned Aircraft to East Coast

The first major phase of flight testing the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator aircraft came to a successful conclusion on May 15 when Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Navy wrapped up testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The airworthiness test phase, which comprised 23 flights by two air vehicles, proved that the X-47B will perform properly at all speeds, weights and altitudes associated with the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The flights included tests of several aircraft maneuvers required in the carrier environment, helping to reduce risks associated with operating a tailless, unmanned aircraft from a Navy aircraft carrier. Northrop Grumman is the Navy’s prime contractor for the UCAS-D program. “The X-47B flight test program at Edwards will be remembered as a very successful collaboration among the Navy, Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center,” said Carl Johnson, vice president and Navy UCAS Enterprise program manager for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “The team has done outstanding work testing and preparing the aircraft for the next phase of the program, which will take place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.” Earlier this morning, he added, the team […]
U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Complete X-47B Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Move Second Unmanned Aircraft to East Coast