X-47B makes first carrier landing

[turboz]

In what can only be described as the most ideal conditions possible (of course it is to start) the X-47B made it's first arrested landing on a carrier. Looked like a 2 wire. I wonder what the LSO grade was, and who he gave it to. It will be cool to see this thing progress as they incrementally move along the flight testing towards pitching decks and terrible weather.

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/x-47b-navy-drone-completes-first-ever-unmanned-carrier-landing-6C10591335

[GreyGhost]

OK two wire ... Nice job, R2 ...

CVN-77 only has three wires ...

-Gregg

[Jay Chladek]

Very cool to see, as long as the plane doesn't get struck by lightning and start playing "Invincible Skin" from its speakers everytime it flies a mission. :D

Edited July 11, 2013 by Jay Chladek

[82Whitey51]

THE RISE OF THE MACHINES!!!!!!

[zark]

..."I'll be back"...

[Spongebob]

I wonder what the LSO grade was, and who he gave it to. It will be cool to see this thing progress as they incrementally move along the flight testing towards pitching decks and terrible weather.

Nobody to give a grade to as it's all automatic...the flight control computers negotiate with ones on the ship and negotiate where it should go. The only human interaction is telling it not to wave off.

The X-47's will be museum bound...they proved it can be done and UCLASS will be the operational follow on after a full-up competition. Heavy weather ops are a long ways off....X-47 got things past the crawling stage, baby steps from here.

Spongebob

Edited July 13, 2013 by Spongebob

[TaiidanTomcat]

Nobody to give a grade to as it's all automatic...the flight control computers negotiate with ones on the ship and negotiate where it should go. The only human interaction is telling it not to wave off.

The X-47's will be museum bound...they proved it can be done and UCLASS will be the operational follow on after a full-up competition. Heavy weather ops are a long ways off....X-47 got things past the crawling stage, baby steps from here.

Spongebob

Sponge,

Does this mean the hook is properly fixed? is this the latest iteration of it? I remember you said 10 percent before, so is this a lucky shot or did they really get this fixed in 6 weeks?

[Antonov]

It's a trap!

[Joe Hegedus]

Sponge,

Does this mean the hook is properly fixed? is this the latest iteration of it? I remember you said 10 percent before, so is this a lucky shot or did they really get this fixed in 6 weeks?

There were no bolters with the new design, and it accomplished several traps at Pax before going to do it at the boat. Two traps were completed at sea. I don't know if that's enough data to say it's "properly" fixed, but they have a design that seems to work. How that translates to the follow-on, no one knows since no one knows what that will look like yet, AFAIK.

[TaiidanTomcat]

Thanks Joe!

[Finn]

The 3rd carrier landing attempt aborted:

http://rt.com/usa/navy-drone-mission-aborted-018/

Jari

Edited July 13, 2013 by Finn

[Spongebob]

They finally got a design that worked....which took a lot of effort and the final answer would never be allowed on an operational plane (life of the hook point is short so it won't work for the JSF). You'll also note the lack of video showing the hook coming up and the air vehicle taxiing out of the wires as it became a long process with the new design.

Despite all the pics and hoopla, the touch and goes done a couple weeks ago are far more challenging technology wise as the air vehicle has to track centerline down the deck before rotating and lifting off again. On the trap the wire tends to keep the vehicle on centerline.

HTH

Spongebob

[TaiidanTomcat]

They finally got a design that worked....which took a lot of effort and the final answer would never be allowed on an operational plane (life of the hook point is short so it won't work for the JSF). You'll also note the lack of video showing the hook coming up and the air vehicle taxiing out of the wires as it became a long process with the new design.

Despite all the pics and hoopla, the touch and goes done a couple weeks ago are far more challenging technology wise as the air vehicle has to track centerline down the deck before rotating and lifting off again. On the trap the wire tends to keep the vehicle on centerline.

HTH

Spongebob

Thanks Sponge!

[turboz]

Nobody to give a grade to as it's all automatic...the flight control computers negotiate with ones on the ship and negotiate where it should go. The only human interaction is telling it not to wave off.

The X-47's will be museum bound...they proved it can be done and UCLASS will be the operational follow on after a full-up competition. Heavy weather ops are a long ways off....X-47 got things past the crawling stage, baby steps from here.

Spongebob

Sorry, I guess the tongue was not planted firmly enough in the cheek. But, I would bet these are some of the MOST analyzed landings in history. There are engineer and aviation types studying these traps in great detail.

Interesting to me though is if this was just a technology demonstrator for a carrier born UCAV why they didn't choose a more traditional design. I mean why go all stealthy or are tailless flying wings just as easy to design, build, and fly these days?

[Joe Hegedus]

Sorry, I guess the tongue was not planted firmly enough in the cheek. But, I would bet these are some of the MOST analyzed landings in history. There are engineer and aviation types studying these traps in great detail.

Interesting to me though is if this was just a technology demonstrator for a carrier born UCAV why they didn't choose a more traditional design. I mean why go all stealthy or are tailless flying wings just as easy to design, build, and fly these days?

It positions them to make a better bid for the follow-on UCLAS, if they did a significant amount of development under a previous effort. It's all about the $.

[Spongebob]

Interesting to me though is if this was just a technology demonstrator for a carrier born UCAV why they didn't choose a more traditional design. I mean why go all stealthy or are tailless flying wings just as easy to design, build, and fly these days?

It goes back to the long, tortured history of this effort. It started way back in the late '90's as a DARPA project to demonstrate autonomous, unmanned strike. That effort was overcome by events with the arming of the MQ-1 and since it was no longer "DARPA hard", the project and the airframes that were in work morphed in an USAF/USN "J-UCAS" project to demonstrate unmanned strike, LO relevant shapes, carrier suitability and air-to-air refueling. The X-45 (Boeing) got the strike part, X-47 (NGC) got the CV/AR work (after a nasty protest...we still have cabinets that we can't empty because the subpoena is still active). Boeing got the strike part done and the AF bailed (think RQ-170 from here so....) ...NGC realized they got in over their heads and that dragged the project way out with the USN as the sole sponsor. In the end, most of the CV suitability development/software work was done by the government and given to NGC.

So, in short, the shape was driven by the LO aspect of the program, not to discount Navy leadership's desire for a certain amount of sex appeal to keep the $$ flowing.

HTH

Spongebob