Fighter plane-size UAVs mature rapidly

Unmanned aircraft have been used in combat for years, but they have either been large reconnaissance platforms or smaller surveillance/attack types. The next generation of robotic aircraft is taking shape and it consists of fighter-jet sized aircraft designed to operate in heavily contested airspace to attack high-value targets.

An update on the progress of two of the most mature of these programs was provided Aug. 16 by top aerospace industry officials at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Conference in Washington D.C.

The two platforms are Boeing’s Phantom Ray and Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat aerial system (UCAS). The Phantom Ray is a company-sponsored technology demonstrator, and the X-47B is part of a Navy program. Both aircraft made their initial flights this year.

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