Unmanned Combat Air System Set For Extensive Flight Testing
In recent months, Pax River personnel may have noticed a new, uniquely shaped tailless aircraft on the runway, the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D). “This summer will be full of activity as the team braces for X-47B’s first flight here and arrival of the second X-47B air vehicle from Edwards Air Force Base, CA,” said Matt Funk, UCAS-D lead test engineer.
LT General Jim Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command discussed upgrades to the B-52H during a recent visit to Edwards Air Force Base in California. The general said that modernizing and sustaining the nation’s long-range strike aviation capability is a top priority for the command.
Frost & Sullivan: Unmanned Aerial Systems Procurement Tops Air Force's Spending List
The unmanned aerial systems (UASs) market accounted for $5.25 billion of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD's) budget in 2010, with the Air Force emerging as the highest spender among all U.S. military services. Most of the $2.42 billion the Air Force has earmarked for UAS spending in 2012 is for the procurement of the MQ-9 Predator.
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