A stealth U.S. Navy drone — one designed to take off from and land on moving aircraft carriers at sea — successfully retracted its landing gear and flew in cruise configuration for the first time.
The test flight at Edwards Air Force Base also helped validate the hardware and software that will allow the X-47B to land with precision at sea, among the harshest aviation environments known, said the drone's maker, Northrop Grumman.
The tail-less plane is 38 feet long and has a 62-foot wingspan. In the released images it looks like a UFO straight out of a 1950s cartoon.
The test flight at Edwards Air Force Base also helped validate the hardware and software that will allow the X-47B to land with precision at sea, among the harshest aviation environments known, said the drone's maker, Northrop Grumman.
The tail-less plane is 38 feet long and has a 62-foot wingspan. In the released images it looks like a UFO straight out of a 1950s cartoon.
X-47B
The X-47B, a stealth drone under development for the U.S. Navy