By Cathy Hansen
NASA's Super Guppy is still flying!
Short Flights
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I wrote this article back in August 2001 about the X-47A Pegasus and the story continues today with the X-47B UCAS.
One Saturday afternoon Al and I walked out of a movie theater before the movie ended – we couldn’t stand the images and language. We didn’t feel it necessary to be bludgeoned with Hollywood’s idea of entertainment! We returned to Mojave and headed straight for the airport. It’s a place for us to recharge, to soothe our spirits and focus on what is essential in our lives.
Just for fun we climbed on one of Al’s motorized scooters to take a little ride and “check the area.” We witnessed something spectacular sitting on the ramp. Photographer, Jim Sugar, was there taking pictures.
Even today, it concerns me that there are so many stories on the television news, shows, motion pictures and in the newspapers that are sad, disheartening, terrifying and repulsive. There are so many magnificent breakthroughs in space, science and exciting new developments in aviation and aerospace right here in our own backyard at Mojave Air and Space Port!
In the book “Our Sacred Honor” about the Founding Fathers of our country, Dr. William Bennett describes a quote in a letter written by Abigail Adams warning her husband, John Adams, “If we are surrounded by the trivial and the vicious, it is all too easy to make our peace with it. Human beings can adjust to anything.”
Let that sink in – with all of the terror and death on the news today, Abigail’s words certainly ring true!
We are reminded of these words on a daily basis. How many trivial and vicious stories do you hear every day? Well, Mojave Air and Space Port is one of the most exciting spots in aviation today! It is not trivial, nor vicious. It truly is a celebrated flight test center!
The Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicle) rolled out of Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites at Mojave Airport on July 31, 2001! It’s another important project from a Mojave Airport tenant, not only important to Mojave and Kern County, but also to our nation and every freedom-loving nation in the world!
The U.S. Navy will fly this futuristic-looking little 21st Century aircraft off of aircraft carriers. Another plus for Kern County is the flight test work will be conducted at China Lake Naval Weapons Center! I am sure you will be seeing more development of unmanned combat aircraft right here.
The Navy version UCAV is being created as a ship-based, “first day of the war” aircraft to compliment the manned aircraft already in place. The UCAV’s will provide targeting for other weapons and weapon systems; take lethal action on fixed or moving targets and collect and distribute post-strike information.
As you can see this aircraft has smooth, low, stealth design constructed with composite materials and is shaped like a kite.
I still believe in “peace through strength” and love the fact that much of our country’s strength starts right here at home.
Fast forward to today: The X-47A is now the X-47B and is an Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS). Our friend, Alan Radecki, had the rare opportunity to photograph the X-47B flying off and back on to aircraft carriers.
The tailless X-47B is a strike fighter-sized unmanned aircraft that was developed by Northrop Grumman as part of the U. S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) Carrier Demonstration program. The company has designed and produced two X-47B aircraft. Flight test work is ongoing.
On May 14, 2013, the X-47B was the first unmanned, tailless aircraft to catapult launch from an aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). Three days later, the aircraft made the first carrier-based touch-and-go landings. On July 10, 2013, the X-47B made history again on CVN 77 by being the first unmanned, tailless aircraft to make an arrested landing aboard a carrier.
In April of 2015, the X-47B once again made aviation history by successfully conducting the first ever Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) of an unmanned aircraft. AAR unlocks the full potential of what an unmanned surveillance, strike and reconnaissance system can do in support of the Navy. These historical demonstrations solidify the concept of future unmanned aircraft and proved that the X-47B can perform standard missions like aerial refueling and operate seamlessly with manned aircraft as part of the Carrier Air Wing.
The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) selected the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) team to receive the 2013 Robert J. Collier Trophy, aviation’s highest honor.
Past recipients of the trophy include: Howard Hughes (1938), Neil Armstrong (1969), the B-2 (1991), Global Hawk (2000)
and SpaceShipOne (2004).
See you on our next flight!
