Unmanned combat aircraft makes first landing at sea

Northrop Grumman and the US Navy completed the first arrested landing of the X-47B UCAS on Wednesday July 10, 2013.

The Northrop Grumman-built aircraft landed while the aircraft carrier was under way off the coast of Virginia, and marks the latest and most significant achievement for the program during carrier sea trials, which began in May.

‘Our operations aboard USS George H.W. Bush show, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that tailless unmanned aircraft can integrate seamlessly and operate safely from an aircraft carrier at sea,’ said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager in a statement.

The X-47B aircraft took off from Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland, July 10. A mission operator aboard the carrier took control of the aircraft and monitored the flight operations, which included several planned precision approaches in preparation for the first arrested landing.

During testing, the X-47B completed the 35 minute journey from Patuxent River to the carrier and caught the three-wire with the aircraft’s tailhook. The arrested landing effectively brought the aircraft from approximately 145 knots to stop in less than 350 feet.