Northrop Grumman X-47

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Northrop Grumman X-47
X-47B during air refueling
Type:	Experimental combat drone
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Northrop Grumman Corporation
First flight:	X-47A: February 24, 2003 X-47B: February 4, 2011
Commissioning:	In flight testing
Number of pieces:	3

The Northrop Grumman X-47 is an unmanned experimental fighter aircraft that exists in two versions. The first model, the X-47A Pegasus , was developed as part of the DARPA -J-UCAS program and, after its discontinuation, is now part of the UCAS-D program of the United States Navy with the X-47B . The aim of this is to develop a carrier-based unmanned combat aircraft ready for series production. Unlike the competitor Boeing X-45 Spiral , the Northrop Grumman X-47A was only developed with company money.

development

X-47A

The rollout of the X-47A took place on July 30, 2001; it had its first flight on February 23, 2003. There were no bombs dropped during the test program; a dummy of a 225 kg bomb was placed in two internal weapon bays (one on each side of the engine) to simulate the operational combat weight. With the X-47A several problems were investigated when using it in a maritime environment, especially in an aggressive saltwater environment. Furthermore, various ways of reducing the maintenance effort were tried out. After the United States Air Force's J-UCAS program was canceled on January 13, 2006, and after the test program for the X-47A had largely been completed, the company switched to the X-47B.

X-47B

X-47B is lifted aboard USS Harry S. Truman

Landing of an X-47B (502) on the USS George HW Bush in July 2013

Play media file

In-flight refueling

The first X-47B prototype, developed since 2007 on behalf of the US Navy as part of the so-called UCAS-D program, was rolled out on December 16, 2008. In December 2009, taxi tests were carried out on the United, about a year later States Air Force Base 42 (AFP 42) in Palmdale , California . The X-47B completed its maiden flight on February 4, 2011, and a second prototype followed on November 22, 2011. A three-year test program is planned, including at Edwards AFB in California and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland .

Although no weapon tests are planned, the X-47B has an internal weapon bay to simulate the closest possible series production. The first land-based catapult launch took place on November 29, 2012. Rolling tests on the USS Harry S. Truman took place on December 9, 2012, followed by the first landing with a fishing system on a simulated flight deck on land on May 4, 2013. The first catapult launch took place on May 14, 2013 from the USS George HW Bush . The first successful carrier landing took place on July 10, 2013 on the same aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia . On the flight deck of the aircraft carrier, the X-47B is remote-controlled by two ground operators.

Tests for automatic in- flight refueling were simulated between a Learjet and a Boeing 707 ; in April 2015 the first “dry” contacts, connections without the transfer of fuel, took place behind a Boeing 707 from Omega Aerial Refueling Services . The first automatic refueling took place on April 22, 2015, during which 1.8 tons of fuel were transferred from the Boeing 707 to the X-47B. Trial tests in regular carrier service with full flight operations of conventional carrier aircraft should take place in 2014/2015.

Studies are available for an X-47C that could carry a payload of 4500 kg with a span of 52 m. The X-47B is designed to carry two guided bombs like the GBU-31 weighing a maximum of 2000 kg in the two weapon bays.

construction

The X-47A looks like a simple arrowhead with no vertical tail surfaces. At the leading edge of the wing the Pegasus has a sweep of 55 °, at the trailing edge of 35 °. The demonstrator has a retractable nose wheel landing gear . In flight, the stabilization takes place via six control surfaces, two so-called elevons and four inlaids . The inlaids are small flaps on the top and bottom of the wing in front of the wing tips. The X-47B, on the other hand, is a greatly enlarged version of the Pegasus. It has flip-up wing tips as well as further developed stealth features , some of which are already known from the B-2 Spirit . The machine consists almost entirely of composite materials to reduce weight and costs and is manufactured by GKN Aerospace .

Technical specifications

Roll-out of the X-47A

Parameter	X-47A data	X-47B data
crew	-	-
length	8.50 m	11.63 m
span	8.47 m	18.93 m (folded 9.40 m)
height	1.86 m	3.10 m
Empty mass	1740 kg	k. A.
Standard takeoff mass	2212 kg	k. A.
Max. Takeoff mass	2678 kg	20,190 kg
Top speed	k. A.	high subsonic range
Service ceiling	12,192 m	12,192 m
Use radius	k. A.	2770 km
Transfer range	2778 km	approx. 6500 km
Engines	1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D - turbofan engine	1 × Pratt & Whitney F100-220U turbofan engine
Thrust	14.2 kN	65.04 kN
Max. Gun load	472 kg	2045 kg

Web links

Commons : Northrop Grumman X-47B  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• US Navy aims to have the first combat drone squadron operational by 2025
• "Unmanned Warfare: The Super Drone" - Video on Spiegel Online (2008)
• An X47 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California on Google Maps (accessed April 5, 2014)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Description on history.nasa.gov p. 57 (X-47A). (PDF; 1.2 MB) Retrieved April 19, 2013 . 
2. ^ Northrop Grumman Reveals First Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft ( Memento from March 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Flight Global: X-47B begins three-year demonstration with first flight over Edwards. Retrieved June 27, 2011 . 
4. ↑ Video: First Flight for Navy's Killer Drone Wired , February 5, 2011
5. ↑ FlightGlobal: Second X-47B flies. Retrieved November 28, 2011 . 
6. ↑ Flightglobal: US Navy details X-47B catapult launch test. Retrieved December 3, 2012 . 
7. ↑ ^{a b} Flightglobal: US Navy starts X-47B taxi trials on carrier. Retrieved December 11, 2012 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b} navy.mil: Makes First Arrested Landing at Sea. Retrieved July 11, 2013 . 
9. ↑ Navy Life: X-47B UCAS Launches the Next Era of Naval Aviation. Retrieved May 15, 2013 . 
10. ↑ X-47B: Combat drone lands on aircraft carrier for the first time ; in Spiegel-Online from July 11, 2013
11. ↑ Beth Stevenson: USN X-47B performs dry air refueling connection. In: Flightglobal.com. April 22, 2015, accessed on April 22, 2015 (English): "The X-47B engaged with the Omega Boeing K-707 tanker over Chesapeake Bay on April 15 after taking off from NAS Patuxent River in Maryland, but no fuel was transferred , according to the US Naval Air Systems Command. " 
12. ↑ NAVAIR News: Fueled in flight: X-47B first to complete autonomous aerial refueling. Retrieved April 23, 2015 . 
13. ^ Secret New UAS Shows Stealth, Efficiency Advances
14. ↑ gknaerospace.com: GKN Aerospace partnered with US Navy and Northrop Grumman for X-47B First Flight , February 5, 2011