American carrier-based drone made its first flight

American carrier-based drone X-47B, designed by Northrop Grumman, made its maiden test flight, according to Agence France-Presse in the Sunday, Feb. 6, with reference to the command of the U.S. Navy - the customer's aircraft.

X-47B, the report says the U.S. Navy, first flew on Air Force Base Edwards, California on February 4 at around 14:00 local time. The first flight lasted 29 minutes, a new carrier-based drone rose to a height of 5,000 feet (about 1.5 kilometers) from the landing gear. The tests were successful, maneuvers performed X-47B during the first flight,

The company Northrop Grumman has been developing X-47B in 2007, winning a contract for 636 million dollars from the U.S. Navy. Originally it was assumed that the first flight of X-47B will be
held in 2009, and in 2011 it will begin testing a new deck drone. However, the starting date of flight tests of X-47B postponed several times since the end of November it was reported that the first flight deck of the new UAV will be held until the end of 2010.

In the first phase flight test program X-47B UAV will rise into the air first once a week, and then the frequency of flights will be increased to twice a week. In total during the first stage of X-47B has to make about 50 flights.In 2013, the deck is expected to begin testing drone.

X-47B drone created with the use of technologies of invisibility in the radar range and is equipped with a jet engine. Under the project, the X-47B system will be installed in-flight refueling, a set of intelligence apparatus, means for jamming, as well as guided missiles.

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