Boeing's robotic plane: All ready, but homeless

Published: Thu Mar 2nd, 2006
Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com

The final nail in the J-UCAS program's coffin: Boeing confirmed Tuesday that it had canceled a VIP ceremony scheduled this month to mark the delivery of the first X-45C to the Air Force.

As we reported earlier, the Defense Department will begin work this year on a next-generation long-range strike aircraft. As part of this effort Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has terminated the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems program, which was aimed at developing a similar aircraft for both Navy aircraft carriers and Air Force air-to-ground strike missions.

Three capabilities are essential for the Next Generation Long Range Strike Aircraft program: the ability to remain airborne for many, many hours; the means to fly very long distances; and the ability to carry significant numbers of bombs. The importance of these factors is expected to make the case for an unmanned system, Pentagon officials said.

"An unmanned bomber is not an option they've look at very much in the past, but it is very easy to understand that they would put it in the mix now," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, who has long tracked Air Force thinking about a future bomber force.

The X-45C could also be modified to compete in the Navy's unmanned carrier-based aircraft program, but it was designed to land only on a runway. It's J-UCAS program counterpart, Northrop Grumman's X-47 Pegasus has the advantage, it was designed from the start to land on an aircraft carrier.

"These programs have been restructured and canceled and resurrected a half dozen times over the last couple of years," chief executive of Boeing's St. Louis-based defense business said. "And I think we'll be in good shape as these programs get reconfigured."
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