Luigi59
Banned
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2007
- Messages
- 4,566
Unmanned drone makes first landing on US Navy aircraft carrier
The experimental X-47B drone has successfully landed on a US Navy aircraft carrier for the first time since its May launch. This means the US can now launch drones overseas without needing to use bases in other countries.
The unmanned X-47B aircraft, which is a prototype drone the size of a fighter jet developed by the American defense technology company Northrop Grumman, took off from a naval air station in Maryland on Wednesday. The drone then landed on the USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia.
The drone successfully performed a maneuver known as “arrested landing,” which involved catching a wire on board the ship with a deployed tail hook, bringing the aircraft to a quick stop.
The task is considered to be one of the most challenging for a human pilot, due to constant movement of the ship and the turbulent air around it. The procedure was performed exclusively by the drone’s built-in computer program.