GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Programme office plans spiral development of air vehicles to meet requirements of US Air Force and Navy
US Air Force and Navy efforts to develop unmanned combat air vehicles have entered a new phase with the formal opening of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) programme office.
Led by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the combined programme aims to demonstrate the feasibility and value of using UCAV's for suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), surveillance and precision strike.
Under the programme, the existing Boeing X-45A UCAV and Northrop GrummanX-47A naval UCAV demonstrators have become the first in a series of overlapping spirals of increasing capability leading to the J-UCAS objective system. Spiral 0 consists of two X-45As and one X-47A. Spiral 1 will involve larger, low-observable (LO) X-45C and X-47B demonstrators, with flight tests scheduled to begin in 2006.
Spiral 0 for the X-45A involves four increasingly capable software blocks. Block 1 testing was completed in February after 16 flights and the start of Block 2 testing - single-ship pre-emptive destructive SEAD - is imminent. Block 3, a single-ship peacekeeping demonstration, is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of next year, followed in the third quarter by testing of Block 4, multi-ship pre-emptive SEAD. Northrop Grumman completed a single flight in February with its X-47A, demonstrating low-speed handing and a simulated aircraft-carrier landing using shipboard-relative GPS navigation.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman, which is teamed with Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, are working on Spiral 1 demonstrators to meet performance goals agreed by the US Air Force and Navy, including a 2,400km (1,300nm) radius, 2h loiter at 1,850km and 2,040kg (4,500lb) payload. The initial USAF role for J-UCAS is pre-emptive destruction and electronic suppression of air defences, followed by precision strike and peacekeeping missions. The initial USN role is carrier-based, survivable, persistent surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting. SEAD and strike capabilities will be designed in, but developed in future spirals.
Spiral 1 goals include demonstrating affordable LO, shore-based catapult launches and arrested landings, and taxi and deck operations both on shore and on ship. The demonstration project is to be followed by "robust operational assessments" beginning in fiscal year 2007, involving additional air vehicles with greater operational capability. The results of these assessments will be key to decisions about follow-on systems development and are expected to provide the services with "several programme options in the FY07-09 timeframe", says DARPA.
Source: Flight International
