The U.S. Navy is preparing to conduct a new round of sea trials this summer with its X-47B stealthy aircraft to prove the unmanned system can clear the busy aircraft carrier deck in 90 sec. or less, just like its piloted counterparts.
This would allow for a more seamless flow of manned and unmanned launches and recoveries on deck, a key step toward earning unmanned aircraft a coveted parking space on American carriers in 2020.
In parallel, the Navy plans to finally issue a formal request for proposals (RFP) for its X-47B follow-on, called the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) system. A draft is expected by the end of the third week of this month, with a final version coming out in the summer, kicking off a long-awaited competition between Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Atomics to build the first combat unmanned aircraft installed into the carrier air wing.
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