- Boeing X-46
The Boeing X-46 was a proposed
Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) that was to be developed in conjunction with theU.S. Navy and DARPA as a naval carrier-based variant of theBoeing X-45 UCAV being developed for theU.S. Air Force . Two contracts for technology demonstrators were awarded in June 2000, toBoeing for the X-46A and toNorthrop Grumman for theX-47A .However, in April 2003, the Air Force and the Navy efforts were formally combined under the joint DARPA/USAF/Navy J-UCAV program, later renamed J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems), and the X-46 progam was terminated as redundant.
The J-UCAS program was later terminated [ [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw091627.xml"Aviation Week and Space Technology" article; J-UCAS ending] ] , and a Navy-only N-UCAS demonstrator program started in the summer of 2006 [ [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=hs&id=news/UCAS07216.xml"Aviation Week and Space Technology" article; Navy's UCAS program] ] . Boeing will use material developed for the X-46 and X-45 to propose the X-45N as a naval UCAV demonstrator [ [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/aw040207p1.xml"Aviation Week and Space Technology" article; Navy UCAS proposals] ] .
References
External links
* [http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-45.html Designation Systems]
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