X-47B UCAS

The X-47B UCAS is a tailless, low-observable unmanned combat air system (UCAS) developed by Northrop Grumman under the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. Designed as a strike fighter-sized autonomous aircraft, the X-47B serves as a technology demonstrator for future carrier-based unmanned aviation.

Developed under a 2007 contract, two X-47B aircraft were built to validate autonomous carrier operations. In 2013, the program achieved the first-ever autonomous catapult launch and arrested recovery of a low-observable unmanned aircraft from an aircraft carrier, demonstrating seamless integration with carrier flight operations.

In 2015, the X-47B completed the world’s first autonomous aerial refueling (AAR) of an unmanned aircraft, proving that autonomous systems can perform complex aviation tasks and operate alongside crewed aircraft as part of a Carrier Air Wing. The program established the technological foundation for future carrier-based autonomous surveillance, strike, and reconnaissance platforms.