+demonstrator+taxies+on+the+flight+deck+of+the+aircraft+carrier+USS+Harry+S.+Truman+(CVN+75).+Harry+S.+Truman+aircraft+carrier+host+test+operations+for+an+unmanned+airc+(4).jpg)
via USNI News.
The U.S. Navy plans to take the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft out to sea onboard an aircraft carrier this summer to test how well it operates together with manned aircraft around the ship and on the flight deck.Did you get the full implications of the Admiral's statement?
“We also plan later this summer—later this year—to do dedicated blending and what we call cooperative operations of manned carrier aircraft and the X-47B,” Rear Adm. Mat Winter, Naval Air Systems Command’s program executive officer for unmanned aviation, told USNI News during a Jan. 30 interview in Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
During the two previous X-47B at-sea periods onboard USS George HW Bush (CVN-77) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in 2013, while the unmanned demonstrator had a Boeing F/A-18 chase aircraft, the two types did not operate together on the carrier flight deck. This time around the manned F/A-18 and X-47B will operate from the carrier together cooperatively.
The X-47 will be going BACK to sea to determine how it operates with manned aircraft!
Before the F-35C makes it to sea for the first time, this unmanned combat aircraft will be taking the first steps toward becoming integrated with the carrier air wing.
It is becoming more and more obvious that the US Navy is planning on having a seagoing deep strike fighter that is not named F-35.
Sidenote: I really wish the Navy would consider wargaming a X-47 only carrier (designate it UAV Strike Carrier) and have it operate alongside a normally staffed carrier...call it an enhanced carrier battle group. By super packing X-47's aboard a carrier and beefing up the aviation section just a bit, the amount of sorties launched could actually boggle the mind. This is the only tech that I see us developing that would give the Chinese fits.
I saw that episode on Star Trek - with the M-5 computer (laughs and runs away!)
ReplyDeleteits not only that its embedded with a carrier but the 35C hasnt even made a takeoff or a landing on a ship while the 47 has made many landings and take offs.
ReplyDelete" while the unmanned demonstrator had a Boeing F/A-18 chase aircraft, the two types did not operate together on the carrier flight deck. This time around the manned F/A-18 and X-47B will operate from the carrier together cooperatively."
ReplyDeleteI think that statement also isn't great news for pro F35 crowd. How much experience, practice, working on procedures and tactics will USN get working those 2 together when F35 hasn't even made it to the carrier yet?
I betcha the UCAS-D is more reliable than the F-35C.
ReplyDeleteOn the F-35 critical failures occur quickly and repair times are sky-high, way worse than the required performances, plus the situation is worse than last year.
FY13 DOT&E Report
Mean Flight Hours Between Critical Failure (MFHBCF)
variant--threshold /observed
F-35A--20/4.5
F-35B--12/3.0
F-35C--14/2.7
Mean Corrective Maintenance Time for Critical Failure (MCMTCF)
variant--threshold/observed/FY12 Report
F-35A--4.0/12.1/9.3
F-35B--4.5/15.5/8.0
F-35C--4.0/9.6/6.6
So you fly the F-35A for 4.5 hours, get a critical failure, and then it takes 12.1 hours to fix it, or nearly three hours longer than it took last year.
Similarly with the F-35B -- fly it for 3 hours, critical failure, then 15.5 hours (7.5 hours more than last year).
The F-35C will fly for only 2.7 hours before 9.6 hours for corrective maintenance time. Damn, only one engine, too, out over the deep blue water.
ok so this is something i have been pondering, the X47 seems to be doing very well in testing, they are going to make it bigger to accommodate more weapons, do you really need the UCLASS competition to look for other platforms or why not let northrop have the contract to build a few squadrons of these, put them on the flattops and then have like a second generation naval UCAV for the UCLASS competition?
ReplyDeleteIsn't this going to be their third round of sea testing? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFDDDClLsaU & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UduEZaOaonU - the program seems to be great, it's one of the great quandaries that when considering F-35B vs C (CATOBAR conversion for the Carriers) that these were not considered as part of the air group - instead of costing a whole F-35C & CATOBAR Conversion vs a whole F-35B & remaining VSTOL/ski jump.
ReplyDeleteyours sincerely
Alexander