Northrop X-47B Drone To Start Navy Flight Assessments

Northrop Grumman unmanned combat aircraft will soon undergo flight assessments with the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, UPI.com reports.

Two  X-47B units will undergo a series of tests at Patuxent River, Md. this summer including arrested landings and catapult launches from aircraft carriers to test the drone’s capabilities.

The drones measure 38.2 feet long, has a range of 2,000 miles and can transport 4,500 pounds of artillery with a service ceiling of 40,000 feet, according to UPI.

Late last year, the first X-47B was delivered at Patuxent River and has been put under difficult assessments like electronic vulnerability testing while preparing for the test flights.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency originally supervised the unmanned combat aircraft system program.

Northrop also recently deployed a new aircraft propulsion system to assist with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

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