| Phantom Ray | |
|---|---|
| |
| The Phantom Ray at Dryden Flight Research Center in April 2011 | |
| Role | Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
Type of aircraft
|
| Manufacturer | Boeing Integrated Defense Systems |
| First flight | April 27, 2011[1] |
| Status | Under development |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Boeing X-45C |
The Boeing Phantom Ray is an American demonstration stealth unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) developed by Boeing using company funds. The autonomous Phantom Ray is a flying wing around the size of a conventional fighter jet, and first flew in April 2011. It will conduct a program of test flights involving surveillance, ground attack and autonomous aerial refueling missions.[2][3] The developers say it can carry 4,500 pounds (2,040 kg) of payload.[4]
The Phantom Ray project, internally referred to as "Project Reblue" at Boeing, was initially conceived in mid-2007 and officially commenced in June 2008. The project was secret within the company, except for a small number of executives and engineers, until May 2009.[5]
Developed by the Boeing Phantom Works, the Phantom Ray is based on the X-45C prototype aircraft,[6] which Boeing originally developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US Air Force, and the US Navy Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program in 2002. The Phantom Ray was not aimed at any particular military program or competition,[7] although Boeing considered using the design as an entry for the Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program.[8]
The Phantom Ray was unveiled on May 10, 2010, in St. Louis, Missouri.[3][9] In November 2010, low-speed taxi tests were carried out in St. Louis.[10][11] The demonstrator aircraft was to perform ten test flights over six months, supporting missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; seek-and-destroy;[12] electronic attack; hunter/killer; and autonomous aerial refueling.[2] Boeing anticipated that the Phantom Ray would be the first of a series of new prototype aircraft.[3]
The Phantom Ray was scheduled to make its maiden flight in December 2010 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center,[3][10] but this was later rescheduled, and the aircraft first flew on April 27, 2011, from Edwards AFB,[13][14][15] having been carried there by the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.[13][15][16][17] The Phantom Ray flew to 7,500 feet and reached a speed of 178 knots,[18] flying for a total of 17 minutes.[19][20]
Values for the X-45 are marked with an asterisk (*).
Data from Debut,[3] Boeing backgrounder,[21] Boeing X-45 page[22]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
|
Boeing military aircraft
| |
|---|---|
| Fighters/attack aircraft |
|
| Bombers |
|
| Piston-engined transports |
|
| Jet transports |
|
| Tanker-transports |
|
| Trainers |
|
| Patrol and surveillance |
|
| Reconnaissance |
|
| Drones/UAVs |
|
| Experimental/prototypes |
|
|
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
| ||||||||
| China |
| ||||||||
| Russia |
| ||||||||
| United Kingdom |
| ||||||||
| Japan |
| ||||||||
| Italy |
| ||||||||
| India |
| ||||||||
| France |
| ||||||||
| Spain |
| ||||||||
| Germany |
| ||||||||
| Sweden |
| ||||||||
| Turkey |
| ||||||||
| Indonesia |
| ||||||||
| South Korea |
| ||||||||
| Iran |
| ||||||||
