Northrop Grumman's unmanned combat air vehicle navy (UCAV-N) Pegasus demonstrator is nearing completion. It has been designated the X-47A by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the run-up to the start of flight tests planned for the fourth quarter.
The final configuration of a larger follow-on UCAV-N demonstrator, expected to be designated the X-47B, is being developed and will be "frozen" in the first quarter of 2002, says Northrop Grumman UCAV-N programme manager Randy Secor. The single-piece composite upper skin of the X-47A has been bonded in place and "we are installing systems before installing the lower skin", he says.
The broad delta-shaped X-47A has a span of 8.5m (28ft) and is 8.47m long. It is being constructed by Scaled Composites at Mojave, California, before being transferred to Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector site at El Segundo for pre-flight tests.
Flight demonstrations, which will include key tests of the aircraft's suitability for carrier operations, are set to follow at the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, by December. The X-47A is due to be rolled out between "45 and 60 days" from now, says Secor.
Source: Flight International
