Navy drone flies alongside fighter jets

 

The movement of jets aboard an aircraft carrier flight deck is often compared to a ballet, with sailors in multicolored shirts guiding fighter pilots and their jets in a tightly choreographed dance.

 So what happens if you add a robot to the human performers?

 The Navy attempted to answer that question Sunday aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, where, for the first time, the service's prototype of an unmanned stealth plane, the X-47B, took off and landed on a carrier flight deck alongside traditional fighter jets.

US Navy catapults drone from aircraft carrier

The U.S. Navy has pulled off what the service's "air boss" called "a watershed event," launching a drone from an aircraft carrier.

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completed a catapult launch from the USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia Tuesday morning.

"Today we saw a small, but significant pixel in the future picture of our Navy as we begin integration of unmanned systems into arguably the most complex warfighting environment that exists today: the flight deck of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier," the "air boss," Vice Adm. David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces, said in a statement.

 he drone landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, after a 65-minute flight around Chesapeake Bay, the Navy said.

"The flight today demonstrated that the X-47B is capable of operation from a carrier, hand-off from one mission control station to another, flight through the national airspace, and recovery at another location without degradation in safety or precision," Matt Funk, the lead engineer for the UCAS program, said in statement.

The next milestone will be landing the craft back on the carrier as the flight deck pitches in the open sea, something onboard pilots consider one of the most difficult things they do. That may come sometime this summer, the Navy statement said

Navy Conducts Pax River's First Flight of X-47B Unmanned Aircraft

The Navy made Pax River history July 29 after it conducted the naval air station's historic first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator.

At 11 a.m., the tailless, unmanned aircraft launched from Pax River and flew for a planned 35 minutes. The aircraft reached an altitude of 7,500 feet and an air speed of 180 knots during its flight over the Chesapeake Bay before successfully landing back at Pax River.

"This milestone event is the first of many flights at Pax River to demonstrate X-47B's compatibility with aircraft carrier flight procedures and launch/recovery equipment," said Matt Funk, UCAS lead test engineer. "The unique airspace and ship equipment at Pax River allow us to conduct the testing here before we land aboard the aircraft carrier next year."

The X-47B traveled from Edwards Air Force base, Calif., to Pax River in June to enter its next phase of testing. UCAS-D team members will utilize the specialized testing capabilities and facilities available at Pax River in the coming months to validate the X-47B's ability to perform in an aircraft carrier environment.

One of the testing facilities at Pax River is a simulated aircraft carrier environment, which will allow team members to ensure the aircraft is ready to operate in testing at sea. Land-based testing will establish X-47B has the ability to conduct precision approaches and to perform arrested landings and catapult launches prior to actual aircraft carrier operations.

"The X-47B's flight today is another important step closer to the Navy's vision of operating tailless, autonomous, unmanned systems from aircraft carriers," said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager.

US Navy carriers prepare for X-47B unmanned aircraft arrival next year

Air traffic controllers aboard USS Harry S. Truman receive training and provide fleet feedback on Navy Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration software during recent carrier sea trials.

The Navy is one year away from landing its first unmanned jet aircraft aboard a carrier after completing the most recent round of surrogate tests aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

In early July, members from the Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) carrier integration team engaged in extensive software testing aboard Truman to validate the concept of autonomous UAV operations around an aircraft carrier and prepare for the X-47B unmanned aircraft’s arrival on a carrier next year.

“Demonstrating our concept of operations and making sure the Carrier Segment is performing as advertised is a huge milestone for the program,” said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager. “The crew, equipment, and program team performed exceptionally well during all planned test events and the Harry S Truman is ready for our next phase of X-47B testing.”

Last year, the team conducted surrogate testing aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) with a manned F/A-18 to evaluate ship systems, avionics systems and early versions of the unmanned vehicle software. The team is now back at sea aboard Truman with the F/A-18 aircraft, testing precision landing performance with the latest X-47B software and hardware configuration.

“The purpose of the UCAS-D carrier integration effort is to mature precision carrier-landing technologies for unmanned systems and digitize the communications and navigation information flow,” Engdahl said. “Since the X-47B is unmanned, the aircraft operates using digital messages from the mission operator and shipboard controllers, rather than through verbal instructions. The carrier requires modification for unmanned flight operations, and the integration effort performs these in a way that minimally affects existing hardware, training and procedures.”

During at-sea testing, the Navy UCAS team gathered valuable feedback from fleet air-traffic controllers and air-department personnel about the usability of the new software and lessons learned about how to most effectively operate UAVs in the carrier environment.

“The new software used during these tests is more comprehensive than earlier versions,” said Cmdr. Jeff Dodge, Navy UCAS carrier integration team co-lead. “There have been significant changes made to the user interface and navigation systems. Data compiled during surrogate flights allows us to determine the effectiveness of the new software and how it supports the carrier environment.”

Throughout the remainder of 2012, the Navy UCAS program will conduct carrier suitability and system performance testing with both X-47B aircraft at Pax River. These tests will include arrested landings, catapult launches, and flight deck operations at the land-based facility and establish the aircraft’s ability to conduct precision approaches to the aircraft carrier.

A Day in the Life of X-47B UCAS – Video

Northrop Grumman just posted this video which is a visual summary of activities associated with the recent flight testing of X-47B Air Vehicle Two (AV-2) at Edwards Air Force Base, California.The testing marked the completion of the airworthiness test phase of the Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) programme.