Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman, U.S. Navy Complete At-Sea Deck Handling Trials of X-47B Unmanned Demonstrator
19 Décembre 2012 - 9:55PM
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Navy have
successfully completed a series of deck handling trials of the
X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator aircraft
aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).
Photos accompanying this release are available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=16368.
The exercises, conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 17, demonstrated
the ability to maneuver the tailless, strike-fighter-sized aircraft
quickly and precisely on the flight deck using a wireless handheld
controller. They are the latest in a series of test activities
leading up to the first carrier landings of the X-47B planned for
2013.
"The X-47B deck trials proved convincingly that the design and
operation of the aircraft are fully compatible with the rhythm and
operational requirements of the carrier flight deck," said Mike
Mackey, UCAS-D program director for Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Systems. "They provided a major boost to the team's confidence as
we move steadily toward our first carrier landings next year."
Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the
UCAS-Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The company designed
and produced two X-47B aircraft for the program. One aircraft was
on the ship; the other remains at Naval Air Station Patuxent River
where it is undergoing additional shore-based carrier suitability
testing.
The deck trials were conducted both while the USS Harry S.
Truman was in port at Naval Station Norfolk, and while the ship was
under way off the coast of Virginia.
Mackey said the testing included taxiing the X-47B on the flight
deck, maneuvering the aircraft up to the ship's catapults using the
Northrop Grumman-designed Control Display Unit; taxiing the
aircraft over the ship's arresting cables and conducting fueling
operations. The team also moved the aircraft up and down the ship's
elevators between the flight deck and the hangar bay.
"We proved that the X-47B air system is mature and can perform
flawlessly in the most hostile electromagnetic environment on
earth, a Nimitz class Navy aircraft carrier," added Mackey.
In 2013, the UCAS-D program plans to begin conducting
shore-based arrested landings of the X-47B at Patuxent River.
Carrier trials, which will include both landings and catapult
launches, are planned for later in the spring. For the latest X-47B
news and information, please visit
www.as.northropgrumman.com/products/nucasx47b/.
Northrop Grumman's UCAS-D industry team includes Pratt &
Whitney, Lockheed Martin, GKN Aerospace, Eaton, General Electric,
UTC Aerospace Systems, Dell, Honeywell, Moog, Wind River, Parker
Aerospace and Rockwell Collins.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cybersecurity, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government
and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: Brooks McKinney, APR
310-331-6610 (office)
310-864-3785 (mobile)
brooks.mckinney@ngc.com
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