Northrop Grumman X-47B
The Northrop Grumman X-47B was the first unmanned aircraft to launch and land autonomously from a US aircraft carrier. Its tailless stealth shape and internal weapons bays were designed to demonstrate how a combat drone could operate alongside crewed naval aircraft. In 2013 it completed carrier landings and later performed autonomous aerial refuelling. Although it remained a demonstrator, its tests changed expectations for what unmanned aircraft could do at sea.
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Did you know?
The X-47B was the first unmanned aircraft to autonomously launch from and land on a US aircraft carrier, using a tailless stealth shape.
Specifications
| Length | 11.6 m (38 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 18.9 m (62 ft) |
| Height | 3.1 m (10 ft) |
| Range | 2,100 NM (3,889 km) |
| Maximum speed | 560 kt (1,037 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 40,000 ft (12,192 m) |
| Engines | 1x Pratt & Whitney F100-220U |
| Units built | 2 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Northrop Grumman X-47B starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Northrop Grumman, the X-47B family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
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