Prepping the Decks: UCAS,Aerial Refueling Demos Point the Way to Carrier-Launched UAS

摘要

A revolution in naval aviation is taking shape in the skies of Maryland and California and in testing and simulation facilities on the ground. At Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, a Navy-industry team is putting two unmanned aircraft through their paces as part of testing that should see them operating off of an actual aircraft carrier next year. The X-47B aircraft are part of the Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstration, or UCAS-D.