Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is on track for the first flight of its revolutionary Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator for the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The first of two X-47B carrier demonstration system air vehicles is well over 50 percent complete and ahead of its build schedule. The enables this first flight to occur in November 2009, a little more than 24 months from initial contract award. This is a historical step toward operating an unmanned combat aircraft aboard a Navy aircraft carrier. The X-47B UCAS-D will be the first ever unmanned tailless jet to land aboard a carrier. The flight test program will include catapult launch and arrested landings from the carrier, autonomous carrier control area operations, and precise movement of X-47B aircraft on the carrier flight deck. The first carrier landing and subsequent sea trials are planned to begin in November 2011.
