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X-47B achieves first flight milestone

6th February 2011 - 08:32 GMT | by Scott Gourley in California

RSS

The first flight of the US Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft was successfully undertaken on 4 February at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The significance of the 29-minute first flight were highlighted by the UCAS-D government-industry team in a press briefing on 5 February 2011

Capt Jaime Engdahl, UCAS-D programme manager, US Navy, offered a first flight perspective relative to the recently-celebrated Centennial of US Navy Aviation.

‘Eugene Ely lined up on the USS Pennsylvania on January 18th, 1911, almost exactly 100 years ago, to take the first ‘trap’ on a ship at sea,’ he observed. ‘So

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Scott Gourley

Scott Gourley is a US-based writer on defence and security issues. A former US Army …

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