Tue, May 11, 2010
'Scaled Down B-2' Is An Advance Technology Testbed
It looks like a fighter-sized version of the B-2, but the pilot
stays on the ground. Boeing on Monday unveiled the Phantom Ray
unmanned airborne system, a test bed for advanced technologies.
“We are on a fast track, and first flight is in
sight,” said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works.
“Phantom Ray is on schedule to fly in December, about two
years after this project began. This is a tremendous accomplishment
for Boeing and the Phantom Ray team.”
Phantom Ray is scheduled to begin taxi tests this summer. The
first flight in December will be followed by up to nine additional
flights over approximately six months. Phantom Ray is designed to
support potential missions that may include intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses;
electronic attack; strike; and autonomous aerial refueling.
“The initial flights will take Phantom Ray through its
paces for the flight test profile. Beyond that, the missions and
systems tested will be determined by future warfighter
needs,” said Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for
Boeing.
Phantom Ray, which evolved from the X-45C program, is one of
several programs in the Phantom Works division of Boeing Defense,
Space & Security. Phantom Works uses rapid prototyping
initiatives to design, develop and build advanced aircraft and then
demonstrate their capabilities.
Key Phantom Ray suppliers include General Electric-Aviation
(propulsion and power distribution), Honeywell (brake system),
Woodward-HRT (flight control actuation system), Crane Hydro-Aire
(brake controls) and Heroux-Devtek (landing gear).
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