okay, anyone know what this is?

Can anyone identify this aircraft?

Its one of the X UCAVS

Originally posted by Roach131313
Can anyone identify this aircraft?

An UCAV,what it is,i'm not sure,but it is definetly experimental.

That's the Northrop Grumman X-47A Pagasus UCAV
Length : 8.46 m
Wingspan : 8.44 m
Propulsion : Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15-D 5C

chec out more pics :

www.geocities.com...

www.darpa.mil...

[edit on 8-2-2005 by drfunk]

more info :

The Pegasus Unmanned Air Vehicle was initially developed under private funding by the Integrated Systems Sector of Northrop Grumman at El Segundo in California. Pegasus received its X-47A designation in June 2001.

The X-47A provided a proof of concept for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Navy UCAV-N program, and is Spiral 0 in the spiral development program which was targeted towards US Navy requirements. A similar program managed by DARPA and the US Air Force covered the development of the Boeing X-45 targeted towards the US Air Force requirement. DARPA announced the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (J-UCAS) program to meet both the Air Force and Naval requirements. The Spiral 1 development phase under the J-UCAS program includes the design of the improved demonstrator air vehicles, X-45C and the X-47B.

The roll out ceremony of the proof-of-concept X-47A vehicle was in July 2001 and the first flight was successfully completed in February 2003.

The X-47B is a larger variant of the X-47A. In August 2004, DARPA awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman for three X-47B demonstrator UCAVs and an operational assessment phase to last from 2007-09.In addition to developing the air vehicle and the vehicle's autonomous control systems, the contract also covers the development of a UCAV mission control system.

The vehicles will demonstrate the feasibility of meeting navy and air force UCAV performance requirements The performance parameters include the capability of sustaining a 2-hour loiter time at a target distance of 1,850km, and also a combat mission radius of 2,400km (1,000nm) with a mission payload of 2,040kg.

The first flight of the X-47B is scheduled to take place in October 2006.

X-47 PEGASUS AIR VEHICLE
The airframe is a stealthy planform design. It is diamond-kite shaped with a 55° backward sweep on the leading edge and a 35° forward sweep on the trailing edge. The X-47A has a wing span of 8.47m and is 8.5m long; the dimensions of the X-47B have yet to be finalised.

Scaled Composites Inc of Mohave, California, were contracted to manufacture the all-carbon composite airframe. The air vehicle has no tail or vertical fin. Instead of a traditional rudder for yaw control, the upper and lower surfaces are each fitted with two sections of moving surfaces. A large elevon is clearly visible at the mid-section of each trailing edge.

The vehicle is robustly built for carrier take-off and landings and uses a conventional wheeled take-off and landing with an arrestor hook. The retractable tricycle type landing gear consists of a single nose wheel, twin wheel main landing gear and a fully retractable arrestor hook.

X-47 PEGASUS AVIONICS
The Pegasus is equipped with an avionics suite supplied by BAE Systems Platform Solutions of Johnson City, New York. The Avionics and Vehicle Management Computer performs flight control processing, autopilot control, engine control processing, mission command and control, navigation, and other functions.

The computer features an embedded, open-architecture CsLEOS real-time operating system which uses "brick-wall" time and memory partitioning to allow multiple applications to run on the same system without interfering with each other. The system also provides multiple scheduling modes, allowing users to switch between different schedule profiles in real-time.

The navigation systems include the United States Navy Shipboard Relative Global Positioning System (SRGPS) automatic landing system.

X-47 PEGASUS ENGINE
The Pegasus is powered by a single Pratt and Whitney Canada JT15D-5C turbofan engine rated at 14,19kN. The air vehicle carries 472kg of fuel but has a maximum capacity of 717kg of fuel for long-range operations or for increased loiter times.

Ahh yes! I was thinking its name was Pegasus or something,but wasn't sure,so didn't post it....Good find stealth spy...

More specs :

SPECIFICATIONS - X-47 PEGASUS NAVAL UNMANNED COMBAT AIR VEHICLE (UCAV-N), USA
Dimensions
Wing span 8.47m
Length 8.50m
Height 1.86m
Weights
Empty weight 1,740kg
Fuel weight 472kg
Maximum fuel for extended missions 717kg
Maximum take-off weight 2,678kg
Performance
Manoeuvrability +3g


Artist's impression of X-47B landing on an aircraft carrier.

Actually it's an X-45C made by boeing.

boeingmedia.com...



[edit on 8-2-2005 by Roach131313]

Originally posted by Stealth Spy
That's the Northrop Grumman X-47A Pagasus UCAV
Length : 8.46 m
Wingspan : 8.44 m
Propulsion : Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15-D 5C

chec out more pics :

www.geocities.com...

100% Wrong

Its the Boeing X-45C, Its funded by DARPA to make 3 of the UCAVS by 2007.

Originally posted by Murcielago

Originally posted by Stealth Spy
That's the Northrop Grumman X-47A Pagasus UCAV
Length : 8.46 m
Wingspan : 8.44 m
Propulsion : Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15-D 5C

chec out more pics :

www.geocities.com...

100% Wrong

Its the Boeing X-45C, Its funded by DARPA to make 3 of the UCAVS by 2007.

but check out the pics in the link, they are the same as the ones posted

this is the real X-45







The Boeing Joint Unmanned Combat Air System X-45 is an unmanned combat air vehicle being developed for strike missions such as Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD), electronic warfare and associated operations.

The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) is being managed by DARPA, the US Navy and the US Air Force. The two principle systems being developed under the first phase of the program, the Spiral 0 phase, are the Boeing X-45 and the Northrop Grumman X-47. The J-UCAS program combines the programs previously conducted under the DARPA, USAF and Boeing X-45 UCAV program and the DARPA, USN and Northrop Grumman X-47 UCAV-N program.

In March 2004, the X-45A completed a ten-day schedule of test flights including dropping a 250lb inert Small Smart Bomb (SSB) at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. The X-45A air vehicle released the unguided weapon from its internal weapon bay at an altitude of 35,000ft and speed Mach 0.67 (about 442mph). In August 2004, the first test of multi-vehicle operations took place. Two X-45A demonstrators were controlled by a single operator / pilot. The next scheduled set of test flights includes the release of a precision-guided weapon that will attack a target. The first flight of the larger X-45C will be in early 2007.

X-45A
In 1999 Boeing was awarded a demonstration phase contract by DARPA and the USAF. Under the contract, Boeing Phantom Works completed two X-45A demonstrator air vehicles. The roll out ceremony of the first vehicle was in September 2001. The first flight was completed in May 2002.

Boeing Company in Seattle is the principle contractor responsible for the X-45 program and is also responsible for the provision and implementation of the mission control aspects of the program. Boeing in St Louis is responsible for the development of the air vehicle

A series of Block 1 tests on both X-45A vehicles, including timing and positional navigation trials, autonomous taxiing and the integration of ground mission control elements, was completed in February 2003.

Block 2 testing, which began in March 2003, included integration of the unmanned vehicles with manned aircraft. By March 2004 the Block 2 software build was completed and the first flight tests of the Block 2 software were successfully completed. Block 3 testing, scheduled to start after Block 2, includes mission replanning during flight, station keeping manoeuvres and the simulated deployment and dropping of inert weapons. Block 4 testing, scheduled for completion by the end of 2004, includes the transfer of decision making to the air from the ground based control station.

AIR VEHICLE
The X-45A air vehicle is of a swept wing stealthy design and composite construction using foam matrix core and a composite fibre reinforced epoxy skin, with a wingspan of 10.31m and overall length 8.03m. There is no vertical or canted tail. The low mounted wing and blended fuselage has a straight leading edge and W planform trailing edge.

The fuselage carries two internally housed weapons bays and an internally mounted Honeywell F124-GA-100 non-afterburning turbofan engine. The engine, rated at 28kN, is equipped with a notched air intake and a two dimensionally yaw-vectoring nozzle exhaust. The fuel load is 1,220kg.

The vehicle carries a payload of 680kg. The air vehicle incorporates underwing hardpoints for carrying auxiliary fuel tanks for increased range or increased time on station or for additional weapon carrying capacity.

The air vehicle is fitted with fully retractable tricycle landing gear for conventional autonomous take-off and landings.

The air vehicle is capable of operating at an altitude of 10,670m (35,000ft) and has a cruise speed of Mach 0.75.

The X-45 is air transportable to forward areas of operation. The wings are detachable from the fuselage so the air vehicle can be stored and transported in a storage container. A single C-17 Globemaster can carry up to six X-45A containerised UCAVS.

X-45C
Boeing planned the development and construction of two UCAV prototype air vehicles, X-45B, a larger air vehicle than the X-45A with an integrated avionics system, increased weapon delivery capacity and increased operating range and altitude. A fully operational version of the prototype X-45B was designated A-45, for entry into service with the USAF in 2008 but the X-45B program was superseded by the Joint-UCAS program and the development of the X-45C.

In June 2003 DARPA announced the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program which combined the DARPA/USAF UCAV and the DARPA/USN UCAV-N programs. In early 2003, DARPA announced the cancellation of the X-45B and the approval for the development of a larger and improved UCAV system, comprising the X-45C air vehicle, mission control, support and simulation systems.

The X-45C has a larger payload performance (2,041kg), persistence and range envelope than the X-45B. The X-45C has a similar fuselage design to that of the X-45B but with a new wing design that gives the X-45C its distinctive arrowhead shaped profile. Boeing began assembly of the first of three X-45C demonstrators in June 2004 and first flight will be in early 2007, to be followed by a two-year operational assessment.

WEAPONS
The air vehicle can carry advanced precision guided munitions, 2,000lb bombs or other munitions and weapons systems.

SENSORS
The X-45 air vehicle is equipped with a suite of sensors including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and an electronic support measures system developed by Raytheon. The Raytheon synthetic aperture radar provides a resolution of 60cm at a target range of 80km.

CONTROL

The sensor suite allows detection, identification and location of fixed and mobile targets in near real-time. The battlefield situation and target data is downloaded via secure datalinks to the ground control operator station, to aircraft or to satellite datalinks. The operator station is equipped with artificial intelligence decision aids to assist the operator in the assessment of the battlefield situation and in his decision to authorise UCAV weapons release.

The taxiing, take-off and landing are fully autonomous but a pilot-operator has the option of controlling these manoeuvres. The UCAV Ground Control Station has been designed by NASA. BAE Systems Controls has been contracted to supply the computerised air vehicle management system. The air vehicle is fitted with a Milstar satellite communications link.

Originally posted by Roach131313
Can anyone identify this aircraft?

this is the same ??




read

It is patently NOT the same. The top pic shows a swept wing and the bottom pic shows a diamond wing. The lower one is the X-47A but the top one which began the thread is the X-45C, I know it looks very different to the X-45A but thats why its called the X-45C, not A

The X-47A has a bulge in front of the intake which is larger than the one on the X-45C, which has a flat top surface nose in front of it. There are in fact a multitude of differences.

Even the swept wing version of the X-47 is different as it has a cranked leading edge whereas the X-45C shown in the pic has a straight leading edge.

[edit on 9-2-2005 by waynos]

By the way, the J-UCAS doesn't have funding for 2006. They have just enough resources to produce 3 aircraft.