US Navy X-47B Robot Fighter Jet Completes First Phase Of Testing
30th June 2012
The Navy’s robotic fighter just got one step closer to earning its wings. The X-47B, an unmanned stealth attack jet, has completed the first major phase of flight testing on its way to become the first aircraft to be able to land and take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier –completely autonomously.
The Navy has had the SPN-42 ACLS (automatic carrier landing system) that can land a plane on a carrier flight deck without the intervention of a pilot since the early 70s — I was part of the crew on the USS John F Kennedy who maintained that gear. So this won’t be a big stretch. The autonomous refueling is the impressive part.