Boeing X-46

The Boeing X-46 was a proposed Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) that was to be developed in conjunction with the U.S. Navy and DARPA as a naval carrier-based variant of the Boeing X-45 UCAV being developed for the U.S. Air Force. Two contracts for technology demonstrators were awarded in June 2000, to Boeing for the X-46A and to Northrop Grumman for the X-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]