Boeing X-45

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Boeing X-45 spiral
Boeing X-45A UCAV.jpg
Boeing X-45A UCAV
Type: Unmanned fighter aircraft
Design country:

United StatesUnited States United States

Manufacturer:

Boeing IDS

First flight:

May 22, 2002

Commissioning:

Flight testing ended

Production time:

Was never mass-produced

Number of pieces:

2

The Boeing X-45 Spiral was an unmanned combat aircraft ( UCAV ) that was developed by Boeing Phantom Works to demonstrate the next generation of autonomous combat aircraft .

The X-45 was manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and was part of DARPA's J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air System) project . After canceling the program, Boeing developed the X-45C into the Phantom Ray .

development

DARPA video of the X-45

Boeing developed the X-45 from research gained in developing the Boeing Bird of Prey . The X-45 has an extremely shallow engine inlet, which is located near the leading edge of the aircraft . The fuselage merges into the lambda wing, in which there are also narrow exhaust outlets. The X-45 has no vertical stabilizer - the split ailerons on the wing tips act as an asymmetrical air brake that is used as a rudder.

Models

Boeing built two scaled-down X-45A's to show that the concept worked. The larger X-45B was later modified to the X-45C and equipped with larger fuel tanks for an increased range (up to 1,930 km). The leading edge of the wings extended from the wing tip to the nose of the aircraft, similar to the Northrop B-2 . The first X-45C was originally scheduled to be completed by 2006, so performance demonstrations could have started in 2007. Boeing hoped that automatic in- flight refueling from a Boeing KC-135 would be operational by 2010 . Boeing was already represented at a few air shows with a dummy of the X-45C. A version designated as the X-45N and adapted for marine use was shown as a mock-up at Farnbourough International 2006.

financing

In October 2004, the X-45C part of the project received $ 767 million from DARPA to build and test the three aircraft. In July 2005, DARPA paid an additional $ 175 million to continue the project and develop autonomous in-flight refueling. On March 2, 2006, the United States Air Force decided not to continue the X-45C project. Boeing tried to align the aircraft to the needs of the United States Navy (X-45N), but could not beat the competition here too, which de facto ended the X-45 program.

Flight operations

The X-45A had its maiden flight on May 22, 2002. The first generation of UCAVs is mainly used for air-to-ground and defensive air-to-air combat, with a pilot still taking over a large part of the control via remote control. On April 18, 2004, a first bomb test was successfully carried out at Edwards Air Force Base .

On February 4, 2005, on their 50th flight, the X-45A took off in patrol formation and were then notified of the presence of a target. The X-45A then automatically determined which aircraft had the optimal position, armament and amount of fuel to attack the target accordingly. After this process, an X-45A changed course and the supervising pilot gave clearance to attack a simulated anti-aircraft position. After this successful attack, the X-45A independently recognized another hidden target and a second X-45A destroyed it. This test demonstrated how the aircraft work autonomously as a team and manage their resources. It was also shown that undiscovered targets can be automatically recognized and destroyed, which is significantly more difficult than attacking a fixed programmed target.

Technical specifications

Underside of an X-45A with the gun bay door open
The new, larger X-45C
The X-45C from the side
Parameter Data of the X-45A Data of the X-45C
Type:    Unmanned fighter aircraft Unmanned fighter aircraft
Length:    8.08 m 11.89 m
Wingspan:    10.23 m 14.90 m
Height:    1.15 m 2.14 m
Empty weight:    3,628 kg 8,165 kg
maximum take-off weight:    6,804 kg 16,555 kg
Top speed:    approx Mach 1 approx Mach 1
Marching speed:    approx Mach 0.85 approx Mach 0.85
Service ceiling:    unknown 12,190 m
Use radius:    approx. 1,200 km 2,220 km
Armament:    900 kg bomb load in a weapon bay    2,041 kg bomb load in two weapon bays   
Engine:    An Allied Signal F124-GA-100 turbofan engine A General Electric F404-GE-102D turbofan engine
Thrust:    27.96 kN 50.03 kN

Web links

Commons : Boeing X-45  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Description on history.nasa.gov p. 55 (X-45). (PDF; 1.2 MB) Retrieved April 19, 2013 .
  2. Robert Wall: Uncertainty engulfs Pentagon's Unmanned Aircraft plan. In: aviationweek.com. Aviation Week & Space Technology, September 13, 2002, archived from the original on September 27, 2007 ; accessed on January 30, 2016 (English).
  3. Graham Warwick: Unmanned aboard - Northrop Grumman aims to prove UCAS can operate from carriers. In: flightglobal.com. Flightglobal, January 25, 2008, accessed on January 30, 2016 (English): "Northrop was awarded the six-year, $ 636 million UCAS-D contract in August 2007 after its X-47B was selected over Boeing's X-45N."