X-47B

Navy said it made a breakthrough in drone technology with the first flight of the X-47B, a bat-winged unmanned jet designed to take off and land from an aircraft carrier, one of the most complex and difficult feats in aviation.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

Unlike the Predator drone, which is operated by a controller on the ground, the X-47B is supposed to operate more autonomously, flying on a pre-programmed flight path.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

Peter Singer , the author of "Wired for War," a book about the revolution in military robotics, said the X-47B was "potential game-changing technology for the naval air wing," but cautioned that carrier-based drones were still a long way off.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

The Defense Department is currently developing the X-47B, designed to operate from an aircraft carrier and refuel in midair.

Pentagon Bets on Smarter Drones Nathan Hodge 2011

The first flight of the X-47B highlights the dramatic evolution of unmanned aircraft in recent years, a technology the U.S. is relying on for surveillance and strike missions in the Afghanistan war.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

The X-47B will be less visible to radar than most drones.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

Navy has released footage of a prototype of the X-47B, a stealthy, bat-like aircraft that it says is an aviation breakthrough.

Drone Will Call Aircraft Carriers Home Nathan Hodge 2011

There are also reports the army "has equipped more than 50 percent of its aviation fleet with automated maintenance monitoring technology" and that Northrop Grumman is experiencing further delays in the X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator, which may be available for its first flight in December with sea trails to begin in 2013.

Reese Schonfeld: A Day in Life of the Military-Industrial Complex 2010

There are also reports the army "has equipped more than 50 percent of its aviation fleet with automated maintenance monitoring technology" and that Northrop Grumman is experiencing further delays in the X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator, which may be available for its first flight in December with sea trails to begin in 2013.

Reese Schonfeld: A Day in Life of the Military-Industrial Complex 2010

Fortunately, according to Paur, the X-47B, which theoretically should be able to do just that, is to make its first test flight before year's end.

Tom Engelhardt: Why Military Dreams Fail -- and Why It Doesn't Matter 2009