X-47B, Aviation History, July 10, 2013

[JJ_BPK]

Very proud of #1 SiL and the guys at Northrop.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 aviation history was written.

The FIRST autonomous UCAS have landed on an aircraft carrier, not once but twice.

X-47B Completes First and Second Carrier-based Arrested Landings, U.S. Navy U.S. Navy

Published on Jul 10, 2013

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completed its first and second carrier-based arrested landing on board USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia July 10.

Link to launch video

Link to landing video

The X-47B does not need a pilot sitting in a lazy-boy in an air-conditioned bunker in Arizona. They do use a guide while on deck for visual movement. But for cat launch & catch they are on their own.

The unfortunate part is the Navy will retire both X-47B demonstrator vehicles in museums.

[Scimitar]

There seems to be way more people then necessary standing around on deck watching the landing. If I understand correctly this is the first time a Unmanned, and if I read correctly unpiloted (i.e. no armchair fighter jock), plan has landed on a Carrier.

Hell, I wouldn't be standing at the end of the runway, you might just become "part" of the experiment!

Not to mention the other air-frames on deck, I figured the deck would be cleared for an experiment like this?

Besides that, cool stuff!

S

[Streck-Fu]

UAVs are going to ruin the TailHook conventions...

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Scimitar

There seems to be way more people then necessary standing around on deck watching the landing. If I understand correctly this is the first time a Unmanned, and if I read correctly unpiloted (i.e. no armchair fighter jock), plan has landed on a Carrier.

Hell, I wouldn't be standing at the end of the runway, you might just become "part" of the experiment!

Not to mention the other air-frames on deck, I figured the deck would be cleared for an experiment like this?

Besides that, cool stuff!

S

I'm do not and never have flew on/off a carrier, so this is somewhat 2nd hand.

My understanding is that ALL landings and cat-shots these days are unassisted by the pilot.

On take off, you always see him grab the hand rail to signal the deck crew he has his hands off the stick.

On landing his only function is to fly out of a wave off.

So,, the X-47B is doing what the F-18 pilot is doing,, kinda..

The X-47B has been doing touch-n-goes, landing, & take off on a land based "model" flight deck for over a year.

This is all passed to me from my SiL. He manages a chunk of the project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i5iYKSuzfc

Streck-Fu: UAVs are going to ruin the TailHook conventions...

Maybe,, it will be a different crowd..

[Team Sergeant]

It's all fun and games until someone like Jester takes control of an armed drone........

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

It's all fun and games until someone like Jester takes control of an armed drone........

I have been waiting for a long time to hear that someone did. The current generation of armed drones are not that hardened.

In the case of the X-47B, it' was never envisioned to be armed. It is tasked to do comm pass thru, long duration over watch, and keep an eye on air traffic abound the fleet.

BUT it is as big as a F-18 and has a bigger payload (no pilot gear).

[Scimitar]

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

I'm do not and never have flew on/off a carrier, so this is somewhat 2nd hand.

My understanding is that ALL landings and cat-shots these days are unassisted by the pilot.

On take off, you always see him grab the hand rail to signal the deck crew he has his hands off the stick.

On landing his only function is to fly out of a wave off.

So,, the X-47B is doing what the F-18 pilot is doing,, kinda..

The X-47B has been doing touch-n-goes, landing, & take off on a land based "model" flight deck for over a year.

This is all passed to me from my SiL. He manages a chunk of the project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i5iYKSuzfc

Thanks BPK

S

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by JJ_BPK

I have been waiting for a long time to hear that someone did. The current generation of armed drones are not that hardened.

In the case of the X-47B, it' was never envisioned to be armed. It is tasked to do comm pass thru, long duration over watch, and keep an eye on air traffic abound the fleet.

BUT it is as big as a F-18 and has a bigger payload (no pilot gear).

Neither was the first Predators....... arming them was a CIA idea and highly classified until it wasn't....

[MR2]

Flying robot gets cold feet, aborts own landing

Two things are worth mentioning.

First, the Navy’s new killer drone detected a problem and made the proper decision before its human minders discovered it, thus boosting mission safety.

Second, what if the drone had autonomously made the wrong decision?

[JJ_BPK]

Second, what if the drone had autonomously made the wrong decision?

Shiite happens, but not sure that can happen.. The LSO (landing signal officer has their fingers on the wave off button. I suspect that this is/will be hardwired to the UCAS system.

Optical landing system

From the late 1950s, carriers evolved from the original straight or axial-deck configuration into the angled flight deck, with an optical landing system (OLS) providing glide slope information to the pilot. Initially, the device was thought able to allow the pilot to land without direction from the LSO. However, accident rates actually increased upon the system's initial introduction, so the system of using both the OLS and the LSO was developed. This development, along with other safety improvements, contributed to the US carrier landing accident rate plummeting from 35 per 10,000 landings in 1954 to 7 per 10,000 landings in 1957.[4]

Together with the OLS, the LSO provides input to the pilot via a radio handset (that looks like a telephone handset), advising of power requirements, position relative to glide path and centerline. The LSO also holds a “pickle” switch that controls a combination of lights attached to the OLS to indicate "go around" using the bright red, flashing wave off lights. Additional signals, such as "cleared to land", "add power", or "divert" can be signaled using with a row of green "cut" lights or a combination thereof. Often, pictures of LSOs show them holding the pickle switch over their head. This is done as a visual reminder to the LSOs that the deck is “fouled” with aircraft or personnel in the landing area. Once the deck becomes “clear”, the LSOs are free to lower the pickle.

LSOs typically work in teams aboard ship. In an example arrangement, four teams of 6-8 LSOs would fly for three days, then wave on the fourth day.[citation needed]

There are a lot of guys with their hands on the Pickle...