Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems
sector achieved a significant milestone in autonomously controlled
flight today with the successful first flight of its Pegasus
experimental unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The flight took place at
Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif.
Northrop Grumman designed and built the Pegasus X-47A with its own
funds to demonstrate low-cost, rapid prototyping; robust unmanned
vehicle management; and tailless aerodynamic qualities suitable for
autonomous launch and recovery flight operations from an aircraft
carrier. Lessons learned from the development and testing of
Pegasus will be used in support of the company's naval unmanned
combat air vehicle (UCAV-N) program for the U.S. Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Navy.
Today's flight began at 7:56 a.m. PST and lasted 12 minutes.
Specific test objectives included low-speed handling qualities, air
vehicle performance, navigation performance and collection of
landing dispersion data. All test objectives were met.
Most significantly, the X-47A successfully landed near a
predesignated touchdown point to simulate the tailhook arrestment
point on a carrier flight deck. This landing data, coupled with
subsequent flight touchdown points, will demonstrate the X-47A
system's landing accuracy potential. The shipboard-relative global
positioning satellite system was used as the primary navigation
source for increased landing precision.
Built largely with composite materials and powered by a Pratt &
Whitney JT15D-5C engine providing 3,200 pounds of thrust, Pegasus
measures 27.9 feet long with a nearly equal wingspan of 27.8 feet.
The X-47A incorporates advanced autonomous flight control laws to
account for directional control of its tailless design.
"The Pegasus program represents our commitment to significantly
reduce the risk for our DARPA and Navy customers on the UCAV-N
program," said Gary W. Ervin, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems
sector vice president for Air Combat Systems. "Regular unmanned
flight operations aboard a flight deck at sea have never been
attempted, and Pegasus addressed some of those key concerns
today.
"In addition, today's event leverages Northrop Grumman's experience
with thousands of hours of autonomous flight by unmanned systems
such as Global Hawk and Fire Scout," Ervin said. "Our approach to
design from a 'system' perspective is reflected in our success with
a full range of UAVs, and Pegasus is a logical progression in
repeatable performance with a complex aerodynamic shape. This
success also points to the potential for joint use of the Pegasus
design to meet Air Force requirements in the government's emerging
Joint UCAV program."
The goal of the joint DARPA/Navy UCAV-N program is to demonstrate
the technical feasibility for an unmanned system to effectively and
affordably conduct sea-based surveillance, strike and suppression
of enemy air defenses missions within the emerging global command
and control architecture. The Pegasus program will play a
significant role in supporting this effort.
The X-47A was designed in El Segundo at the Air Combat Systems
business area of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems. The vehicle
was built at Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif.
