Northrop Grumman X-47B – Foto's &video's

De Northrop Grumman X-47B is een demonstratie onbemand gevechtsvliegtuig (UCAV) ontworpen voor vliegdekschip-gebaseerde operaties. Het X-47-project, ontwikkeld door het Amerikaanse defensietechnologiebedrijf Northrop Grumman, begon als onderdeel van het J-UCAS-programma van DARPA en werd vervolgens onderdeel van het Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) -programma van de Amerikaanse marine. De X-47B is een staartloos jet-aangedreven vliegtuig met gemengde vleugelbody dat in staat is tot semi-autonome bediening en bijtanken vanuit de lucht.

Bron: Northrop Grumman X-47B op Wikipedia

The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration aircraft designed to test the feasibility of operating unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) from aircraft carriers. The X-47B is a tailless, jet-powered, stealthy aircraft that can perform autonomous takeoffs, landings, and aerial refueling. The X-47B is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Navy and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and is intended to demonstrate the potential of UCAVs for strike missions in high-threat environments.
The X-47B made its first flight in 2011, and successfully completed its first carrier-based launch and recovery in 2013. The X-47B program was concluded in 2015, after achieving several milestones and setting records for UCAV performance. The X-47B is considered a precursor to the Navy’s planned MQ-25 Stingray program, which aims to develop a carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling system.