Another Milestone For UCAVs

When the inert bomb slammed into the ground within inches of the truck it targeted, it might have seemed at first glance like just another UCAV test. But consider: No one was actually flying the Boeing X-45A. It was on its own.

For pilots at Edwards AFB (CA), it must have been a somewhat bittersweet sight, for the X-45A just crossed another one of those lines leading toward fully automated (although supervised) aerial warfare.

"It's absolutely a huge step forward for us. It shows the capability of an unmanned airplane to carry weapons," said Rob Horton, Boeing's chief operator for the mission. "From the video, you see the weapon going down and a huge cloud of dust and the truck shaking around."

The aircraft was programmed to fly to the target before it took off, updating its course en route by checking with an onboard GPS receiver. Horton sat in a control room 80 miles away. As the UCAV was flying at 442 mph, 35,000 feet above the desert floor, he authorized it to release its weapon.

Had the weapon been contained explosives, it would have doubtlessly disintegrated the truck, Horton said.

As important as the mission was for the Air Force, which hopes to use drones to fly the most dangerous missions -- like those targeting SAM sites and radar facilities -- it was also a big step for Boeing. It hopes to sell the Air Force hundreds of X-45As at a cost of up to $15 million each.

FMI: www.boeing.com