PAUL LEWIS / NAS PATUXENT RIVER
Joint venture with USAF could feature collaborative system architecture, but distinct UCAV and UCAV-N vehicles
The US Navy is considering forming an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) joint programme office with the US Air Force in an effort to breathe life into its troubled naval UCAV demonstration.
The USN is struggling to come to grips with two of its three major unmanned requirements - for a carrier-borne UCAV-N at one end of the capability spectrum and a shipboard tactical UAV system at the other. The USN/Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency UCAV-N programme has effectively been on hold for more than seven months as a result of internal disagreements about how to proceed with the next planned phase of down selecting either the Boeing X-46 or Northrop Grumman X-47B for a carrier compatibility demonstration.
"One of the things we're now looking at is establishing a joint programme office with the idea of initially looking at requirements and determining whether we could address those requirements to serve both the USN and USAF. It would be similar to what we did with Joint Strike Fighter, and seeing what is the best way of satisfying the requirements from a joint perspective," says Capt Dennis Sorenson, head of the US Navy Navair UAV programme office. A decision on how to proceed is expected within a few weeks.
A possible merger of the two programmes presents major challenges, as Boeing has started X-45 UCAV flight testing and the USAF has a development plan for the more-capable X-45B demonstrator and an A-45 initial operational vehicle by 2008. The USN had not planned to begin full development before 2006 or deploy a UCAV before 2015.
The USN has much less money available and is still debating whether to fly the X-46 or X-47, or both demonstrators. USN sources say the demonstration is still needed to validate operations from an aircraft carrier.
Sources say it might be possible to pursue collaborative system architecture, while retaining aerodynamically distinct UCAV and UCAV-N vehicles.
Source: Flight International
