Northrop Grumman X-47B
| X-47B UCAS-D | |
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| An X-47B demonstrator receiving fuel from an Omega KC-135 tanker while airborne over the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Test Range on 22 April 2015 | |
| Role |
Unmanned combat air vehicle Technology demonstrator |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| First flight | 4 February 2011 |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Number built | 2 |
| Program cost | US$813 million (2012 estimate) |
| Developed from | Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus |
| Developed into | Northrop Grumman X-47C |
 Video of X-47B land catapult launch
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Video of X-47B carrier catapult launch
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The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) designed for aircraft carrier-based operations. Developed by the American defense technology company Northrop Grumman, the X-47 project began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and subsequently became part of the United States Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The X-47B is a tailless jet-powered blended-wing-body aircraft capable of semi-autonomous operation and aerial refuelling.
The X-47B first flew in 2011, and as of 2015[update], its two active demonstrators have undergone extensive flight and operational integration testing, having successfully performed a series of land- and carrier-based demonstrations. In August 2014, the US Navy announced that it had integrated the X-47B into carrier operations alongside manned aircraft, and by May 2015 the aircraft's primary test program was declared complete. Northrop Grumman intends to develop the prototype X-47B into a battlefield-ready aircraft, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system, which will enter service in the 2020s. The X-47B demonstrators themselves were intended to become museum exhibits after the completion of their flight testing, but the Navy later decided to maintain them in flying condition pending further development.
The US Navy did not commit to practical UCAS efforts until 2000, when the service awarded contracts of US$2 million each to Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a 15-month concept-exploration program. Design considerations for a naval UCAV included dealing with the corrosive saltwater environment, deck handling for launch and recovery, integration with command and control systems, and operation in an aircraft carrier's high-electromagnetic-interference environment. The Navy was also interested in procuring UCAVs for reconnaissance missions, penetrating protected airspace to identify targets for following attack waves. Northrop Grumman's proof-of-concept X-47A Pegasus, which provided the basis for the X-47B's development, first flew in 2003.
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