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X-45 UCAV



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Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle

In the late 1990s, DARPA and the Air Force began pre-acquisition efforts to conduct advanced technology demonstrations to show the technical feasibility of using UCAVs to penetrate deeply into enemy territory to attack enemy targets. Boeing Corporation was selected in 1999 to develop and demonstrate two demonstrator UCAVs designated X-45A.

Enemy nation's air defenses form a greater threat to US warplanes than a decade ago, and will only become more dangerous in the future.
In future strike missions, the UCAV will conduct the most dangerous task, SEAD, while manned fighter-bombers (like the Joint Strike Fighter for instance) will conduct normal strike missions.
The UCAV will cost about one-third of the cost of next-generation fighter planes. Other advantages are more flexable safety requirements, since the planes are unmanned. This eneables the aircraft to be heavier equipped with munitions and systems than normal aircraft are allowed to be, and besides that, they can also be smaller and lichter.

Related News
X-45 UCAV News Archive

Specifications

Version: X-45 A X-45 B X-45 C
Manufacturer:
Boeing
Country:
USA
Type:
Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle
Propulsion: Honeywell F124-GA-100 (1x)
GE F404-GE-102D (1x)
Engine thrust: 6,300 lbs || 28 kN
7,000 lbs || 31.1 kN
Length: 26.3 ft || 8.02 m 36 ft || 9.6 m 39 ft || 11.7 m
Height: 3.7 ft || 1.13 m
4 ft || 1.3 m
Wingspan: 33.8 ft || 10.30 m 47 ft || 14.3 m 49 ft || 15 m
Weight (Take-Off): 12,000 lbs || 5,529 kg 36,500 lbs || 16,556 kg 36,000 lbs || 16,329 kg
Max. Speed: 0.75 Mach
0.85 Mach
Range:
n/a
 1,300 nm || 2407 km
Ceiling: 35,000 ft || 10,670 m 45,000 ft || 13,720 m 40,000 ft || 12,000 m
Crew:
Unmanned
Unit cost:
$10 - $15 million

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Images

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X-45 A





X-45 B



X-45 C










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