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| X-47B aircraft. Northrop Grumman photo |
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The second Northrop Grumman unmanned X-47B fighter logged its first flight Nov. 22 at Edwards Air Force Base. Air Vehicle 2 (AV-2) climbed to 5,000 feet, flew racetrack patterns and landed after a half-hour flight. The X-47B is being developed for the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration program. The tailless AV-2 autonomous aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s F100-PW-220U engine and exhaust system. (Sources:
Northrop Grumman,
Pratt and Whitney, 11/28/11)
Gulf Coast note: Northrop Grumman and Pratt and Whitney have aerospace operations in this region; Fire Scout and Global Hawk unmanned systems are build in part in Moss Point, Miss.; multiple companies in the region are involved in UAV-related activities.
