14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Northrop Grumman Corporation and the United States Air Force (USAF) announce that the second X-47B drone will be moved to the East Coast, after successfully completing its airworthiness test phase in California.
The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator aircraft was developed under the terms of the US Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.
The drone is capable of taking off and landing from aircraft carriers, and is also able to complete the type of maneuvers necessary on the bridge of such a vessel. The Navy plans to begin deploying the UCAS to active duty as soon as possible.
Northrop and the USAF tested the vehicle at the Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), in California, before sending it away. The assessments called for the X-47B to carry out a number of 23 flights, during which time all of its systems were thoroughly checked.