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.
House lawmakers are encouraging the Air Force and U.S. Special Operations Command to work together as each pursues long-range, long-endurance reconnaissance drones. Both entities are investing in unmanned assets that can slip into highly defended areas, loiter over a particularly valuable target for days at a time, and traverse multiple…