Boeing X-45A Aircraft Fly Together for First Time Demonstrate Unmanned Coordinated Flight Successfully

Posted on: Aug. 4th, 2004 || Source: boeing.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

ST. LOUIS , August 2, 2004 – Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., home of the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center, where the sound barrier was broken on October 14, 1947 , hosted another aviation milestone on Sunday. The historic event took place as two Boeing [NYSE: BA] X-45A unmanned aircraft, under the control of a single pilot-operator, successfully operated together in a coordinated flight completing the first ever multiple air vehicle control flight demonstration.

The groundbreaking mission began when both Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45A technology demonstrators departed in succession from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. After joining up over the test range, the air vehicles demonstrated coordinated operations by flying preset formations that involved autonomous maneuvering to hold their relative positions. The two X-45A aircraft were able to fly the same mission plan on their own which significantly reduced their pilot-operator's workload.

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