A Transformation in Carrier Aviation?
On 16 December 2008, Northrop Grumman rolled out the prototype of the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D, also known as the X-47B). As a proposed carrier aircraft, its two critical tests are deck operations (including takeoffs and controlled hooked landings) and air-to-air refueling. The X-47B is about the size of an F/A-18E, with broadly similar performance and capabilities.