The US Navy and Northrop Grumman have successfully completed the first land-based catapult launch of the X-47B unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstrator at a shore-based catapult facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, US.
During the test, which forms part of a series of such trials, the Northrop-built control display unit (CDU) was used to perform flights in simulated environments.
The X-47B performed test flights in a typical ship holding pattern, as well as a carrier approach flight profile, while enabling the test team to collect related information on precision navigation with each manoeuvre.
Northrop Grumman’s UCAS-D flight test director Daryl Martis said that the catapult launch demonstration also validated the precision operation of the CDU.
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By GlobalDataDesigned to enable the flight deck operator to control and manoeuvre the X-47B UAS on the flight deck, the CDU is a wireless, arm-mounted controller used to move the system into the catapult, disengaging it from the carrier’s arresting wires and quickly transporting it out of the landing area.
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Unmanned aviation and strike weapons programme executive officer rear admiral Mat Winter said: "The N-UCAS programme’s goal is to demonstrate integration of an unmanned aircraft into a carrier environment and reduce technical risk associated with developing potential future unmanned, carrier-compatible systems."
A series of deck handling trials of the X-47B demonstrator will also be conducted onboard the US Navy’s eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) in December, following the completion of ground-based catapult test flights and final flight software validation.
In 2013, the programme aims to validate the X-47B’s performance to safely operate from a US Navy aircraft carrier, including conducting launch, recovery, and air traffic control operations.
The UCAS-D industry team includes Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, GKN Aerospace, Eaton, General Electric, UTC Aerospace Systems, Dell, Honeywell, Moog, Wind River, Parker Aerospace and Rockwell Collins.
Image: The US Navy’s X-47B unmanned aircraft undergoing trials. Photo: courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corp.
