Boeing said Thursday two X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System unmanned aircraft “responded brilliantly” when pushed to their limits in a combat exercise flown out of Edwards AFB, Calif. The test required the duo autonomously to determine the best route and face pop-up threats as they identified and destroyed SAM systems. In the works: the X-45C, slated for flight testing in 2007.
Facing competition from fast-growing startups, Lockheed Martin is speeding up production of an “affordable, scalable” hypersonic glide body, dubbed the Next Generation Glide Body, the firm said in a June 24 release.