UCAS 1st flight expected early 2010

First flight of the Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator will take place in second quarter of fiscal year 2010 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. First flight was planned for late 2009.

The Naval Air Systems Command UCAS-D program office (PMA-268) and industry partner Northrop Grumman continue pre-flight testing of the aircraft to ensure the system’s readiness to fly in early 2010.

"This is not in any sense a derivative aircraft," said Capt. Martin Deppe, program manager in Patuxent River, Md. "The Navy is breaking new ground here, and given both the resulting technical complexity and strategic importance of this program, we're taking a closer look before first flight to sort out any integration issues. We intend to do it right."

The X-47B ground-based check-outs, surrogate aircraft flight testing, and lab-based integration testing reveal challenges of ushering in a fundamentally new class of aircraft.

During recent X-47B system check-out activities, propulsion acoustic issues and engine start sequencing did not operate to required performance levels, requiring engineers to troubleshoot, make associated adjustments and perform additional testing both in the lab and on the aircraft before moving forward, according to Deppe.

Postponing first flight allows us to make those changes and then proceed with a thorough first flight review by a team of NAVAIR and Northrop Grumman subject matter experts, while remaining on-schedule for sea trials in 2012, said Deppe.

Taxi testing is the next major phase of pre-flight operations. Low-speed taxi testing is expected to commence no later than December, according to Deppe.

"So far, the issues have been manageable", said Deppe, "and we look forward to our first flight early in the new year, but we won't go until we're ready."

The X-47B will be the first unmanned jet aircraft to take off and land aboard an aircraft carrier. It also will be the first all-new aircraft of any kind to operate on the flight deck in more than 30 years.

The X-47B will demonstrate that a long-range, low-observable, flying-wing unmanned combat aircraft can operate safely from aircraft carriers and refuel in-flight to achieve ultra-long mission endurance, said Deppe.

Established in 2007, the UCAS-D program is intended to reduce risk and determine requirements for a potential follow-on acquisition program.