Northrop Grumman’s X-47B naval unmanned combat demonstrator aircraft flies for the first time, completing a 29-minute mission at Edwards AFB, Calif. The UCAS-D program is designed to demonstrate that a tailless, fighter-sized aircraft can safely takeoff and land on a carrier deck.
The Air Force is already looking past the initial contracts it has awarded for the first autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft and is sketching out plans for the second batch of aircraft, Chief of Staff David W. Allvin said May 7. The approach is intended to speed the development of new…