US Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS)
Both the Air Force and the Navy had been developing plans for operational follow-ons to their respective demonstrator programs, but pressures rose for the two services to merge their efforts, resulting in the formation of the "Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS)" program in October 2003 under DARPA direction.
Of course, the candidates for the J-UCAS program include follow-ons to the X-45A and the X-47A. DARPA and Boeing had been working on the "X-45B", a scaled-up X-45A that was seen as the prototype for an operational machine that would reach service in 2008, and would carry a 1,590 kilogram (3,500 pound) load to a combat radius of 1,665 kilometers (900 nautical miles). Two were to be built, but before any metal could be bent for the two X-45B prototypes planned, the Air Force redirected the effort to an even more capable machine, the "X-45C".
The goal of the J-UCAS effort was to select a single contractor to provide from 10 to 12 machines for operational evaluation in the 2007:2008 time frame. Current plans are to obtain two X-45Cs and two X-47Bs to perform a comparative evaluation and then select a winner for development in the 2010 time frame.
The USAF envisioned that J-UCAS will feature:
- Stores pylons on the wings for external fuel tanks or additional munitions.
- Mid-air refueling capability.
- A narrow field-of-view SAR-MTI system for targeting and post-strike damage assessment.
The Navy is interested in many of the features on the Air Force wish list, though the Navy has put reconnaissance and jamming at the top of the list and strike at the bottom.
In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review it was stated that the J-UCAS program would be terminated and instead a new long-range strategic bomber program has been launched.
Read more about this topic: History Of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles
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