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Boeing X-45C

Type
UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
PO Box 516

St. Louis, Missouri 63166
USA

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 0

Weapons (Bewaffnung): The X-45C has two internal weapons bays, where it can carry up to 8 SDBs (Small Diameter Bombs) or two 910 kg JDAMs as well as auxiliary fuel tanks or other payloads to support such misssions as electronic attack.

Power plant (Antrieb): 1 x General Electric F404-GE-102D. It features reliability and redundancy improvements for single engine operations as well as low-observable technology.
Thrust (Schub): about 50 kN dry

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 11,9 m
Span (Spannweite): 14,95 m

Weights (Massen)
Empty weight (Leermasse): 8165 kg
Weapons laod (Waffenzuladung): 2040 kg
Max. gross weight (max. Abflugmasse): about 16555 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Cruise speed (Marschgeschwindigkeit): Mach 0.8
Service ceiling (Gipfelhöhe): 12190 m (40000 ft)
Combat radius (Einsatzradius): over 2220 km

Customers (Kunden)
DARPA/US Air Force/US Navy: 3 X-45C air vehicles were ordered in October 2004.

Costs (Kosten)
Boeing received 767 million Dollars from DARPA in October 2004 for three X-45Cs, two mission control elements and integration of the J-UCAS Common Operating System.
Another 174,99 million Dollars followed in July 2005 for additional flight test task including autonomous air-to-air refueling
Previously, Boeing had contracts for the X-45B, which was never built, but work on which reads directly across to the C-model.

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Northrop Grumman X-47B

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
DARPA, together with the US Air Force and US Navy, are conducting a demonstration effort to gain experience with high-performance, weaponized unmanned air vehicles. After long discussions regarding the size of suitale test vehicles, Boeing and Northrop Grumman were selected to build demonstrators. In the case of the X-45C, Boeing is building on its experience with over 60 flights of its two X-45As. Major characteristics of the X-45C include:

affordable stealth
all electric actuators
ESM and spot SAR sensors
provision for automated aerial refueling

Among the companies contributing to the X-45C are
- Goodrich: SmartPort air data sensors, laser altimeters

History (Geschichte)
Boeing began its unmanned combat aircraft programme in 1998. The following year, it was awarded a contract to build two X-45A air vehicles and a mission control station for an Advanced Technology Demonstration Programme. First flight of the X-45A was in May 2002 and the flight tests were completed after more than 60 missions in August 2005.
An enlarged X-45B demonstrator was planned, and Boeing selected the F404 engine as its powerplant in May 2002. A contract to fabricate and test two air vehicles was awarded on 7 August 2002. At that time, a first flight was expected in late 2004.
In early 2003 the US Air Force and DARPA modified the operational objectives of the UCAV effort for greater payload, range and persistence, with a resulting change to the demonstrator design. Plans to build the X-45B prototypes were thus cancelled and the UCAV programme restructured into a joint effort to meet the needs of the Navy as well as the Air Force. This programme was then called J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air System).
Boeing announced on 29 April 2003 that DARPA had asked it to modify its X-45B design to meet the objectives of both the USAF and the US Navy. The UCAV Spiral 1 agreement was thus modified and the design changed to the X-45C, which also became Boeing´s solution for UCAV-N demonstrations. The X-45C was based on the subsystems and center body of the X-45B design, but with a revised planform to carry more fuel and provide better aerodynamic performance. Boeing claimed that the new model would have a combat radius more than three times the X-45B carrying the same payload. The first flight of the X-45C was then scheduled for early 2006.
The X-45C design completed its Mid-Term Design Review in December 2003.
Boeing started assembling the X-45C on 8 June 2004 at its St. Luis facility, when the aft “carry-through” frame was loaded into a holding fixture. The fuselage was complete by September 2004.
A full-scale mock-up of the X-45C was shown at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2004.
Boeing got a DARPA contract for the X-45C programme on 12 October 2004. It included three air vehicles and two mission control elements as well as the test programme.
Boeing accepted the first two F404 engines for the X-45Cs on November 10, 2004 at the General Electric Plant in Lynn, Mass.
In May 2005, Boeing completd a key J-UCAS system requirements review with DARPA, the USAF and the US Navy.
As of the summer of 2005, the schedule foresaw completion of the first X-45C in 2006, with flight tests to begin in early 2007.
On 11 July 2005, DARPA awarded Boeing an additional 175 million US-Dollars to conduct a robust autonomous aerial refueling demonstration with its X-45Cs (in 2010, using a KC-135) and extend the flight test effort by 18 months. It was also said that several options, like an aircraft-carrier capable demonstrator, were under discussion.
An operational assessment of the X-45A should begin in 2007. It will focus on the supression of enemy air defences, reconnaissance and strike missions.

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Last updated 20 August 2005

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