MQ-25A Scat

I ka manawa e komo ai ka MQ-25A i ka lawelawe, ʻo ia ke kaʻa mokulele unmanned kiʻekiʻe loa ma ka honua. Ma ka liʻiliʻi ma waena o nā mea huna ʻole. ʻO nā kaʻa lewa ʻole a pau e hoʻohana ʻia nei e hoʻokele mamao ʻia e ke kanaka. Pono ʻo MQ-25A e hōʻike i ka hanauna e hiki mai ana - nā kaʻa mokulele unmanned kūʻokoʻa e waiho wale ana ma lalo o ka mākaʻikaʻi kanaka. Kiʻi US Navy

Ma hope o ka ʻumi makahiki o ka noiʻi, ka hoʻāʻo ʻana a me ka hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻana, ua hoʻomākaukau hope ka US Navy i kahi hoʻolālā e hoʻokomo i nā kaʻa mokulele unmanned i ka lawelawe. ʻO ke kahua, i kapa ʻia ʻo MQ-25A Stingray, ua hoʻomaka e komo i ka lawelawe ma 2022. Eia naʻe, ʻaʻole ia he mokulele hoʻokūkū hoʻokūkū, a ʻaʻole pono e loaʻa nā hiʻohiʻona undetectable, e like me ka mea i manaʻo mua ʻia. ʻO kāna hana ʻo ia ka hana ʻana i nā hana o kahi mokulele pahu i ka lewa. ʻO ka hana lua, ʻo ia ka reconnaissance, reconnaissance a me ka nānā ʻana i nā pahuhopu ʻili (NDP).

I ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka makahiki 2003, ua hoʻomaka ka US Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) i ʻelua papahana hoʻokele e hoʻokumu i nā kaʻa lele kaua ʻole. Ua koho ʻia ka papahana US Air Force UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle) a ua kapa ʻia ka papahana US Navy UCAV-N (UCAV-Naval). I ka XNUMX, ua hoʻohui ka Pentagon i nā papahana ʻelua i hoʻokahi papahana e hana i "Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems", a i ʻole J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems).

Ma ke ʻano he ʻāpana o ka papahana UCAV, ua hoʻomohala ʻo Boeing i ka prototype X-45A mokulele, i haʻalele i ka lā 22 o Mei, 2002. Ua lawe ʻia ka lua o ka X-45A i ka lewa i Nowemapa o ia makahiki. Ma ke ʻano he ʻāpana o ka papahana UCAV-N, ua kūkulu ʻo Northrop Grumman i kahi prototype unmanned aerial kaʻa, i koho ʻia ʻo X-47A Pegasus, i hoʻāʻo ʻia ma Pepeluali 23, 2003. Ua hōʻike ʻia nā mea ʻelua i ka ʻike radar haʻahaʻa, ua hūnā ʻia nā ʻenekini i loko o ka fuselage a me ka Aia nā ea ea ma ka fuselage mua o luna. Ua loaʻa iā lāua nā keʻena pahū hull.

Ma hope o ka hoʻāʻo ʻana o ka ea, ua hoʻomohala ʻo Boeing i kahi prototype ʻē aʻe, i kapa ʻia ʻo X-45C. ʻAʻole like me ka X-45A hoʻokolohua, ua manaʻo ʻia he hoʻolālā nui a ʻoi aku ka manaʻo, e hoʻomanaʻo ana i ka B-2A Spirit bomber. Ua hoʻolālā ʻia e kūkulu ʻia ʻekolu prototypes i ka makahiki 2005, akā ʻaʻohe mea i kūkulu ʻia. ʻO ke kumu nui ka haʻalele ʻana o ka Air Force mai ka papahana J-UCAS i Malaki 2006. Ua haʻalele pū ka Navy iā ia, e hoʻomaka ana i kāna papahana ponoʻī.

polokalamu UCAS-D

I ka makahiki 2006, me ka hui pū ʻana me DARPA, ua hoʻokumu ka US Navy i ka papahana UCAS-D (Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator), ʻo ia hoʻi. ke kūkulu ʻana i kahi mea hōʻikeʻike ʻōnaehana kaua lewa ʻole. Ua komo ʻo Northrop Grumman i ka papahana me kahi manaʻo prototype, i koho ʻia ʻo X-47B, a me Boeing me kahi mana ea o ka X-45C, i koho ʻia ka X-45N.

ʻO ka hope loa, ua koho ka Navy i ka papahana Northrop Grumman, i ʻaelike ʻia e kūkulu i kahi kaʻa mokulele unmanned, i koho ʻia ʻo X-47B. Ua komo nā hui i lalo ma ke ʻano he subcontractors i ka papahana: Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, GKN Aerospace, General Electric, UTC Aerospace Systems, Dell, Honeywell, Moog, Parker Aerospace a me Rockwell Collins.

Ua hana ʻia ʻelua prototype lele: AV-1 (Air Vehicle) a me AV-2. Ua hoʻopau ʻia ka mea mua ma Dekemaba 16, 2008, akā ʻaʻole i hoʻāʻo ʻia a hiki i Pepeluali 4, 2011 ma muli o ka lohi o ka papahana a me ka pono o nā hoʻokolohua avionics. Ua lele ka prototype AV-2 ma Nowemapa 22, 2011. Ua holo nā mokulele ʻelua ma Edwards Air Force Base ma Kaleponi.

I Mei 2012, ua hoʻomaka ka prototype AV-1 i nā hoʻokolohua ma NAS Patuxent River Naval Base ma Maryland. I Iune 2, hui pū ʻo AB-2012 me ia. Hoʻokomo ʻia nā hoʻāʻo, ʻo ia hoʻi, ka hoʻāʻo ʻana i ka spectrum electromagnetic, ka hoʻokele kaʻa ʻana, catapult takeoff a me ka pae huki ʻana i loko o kahi keʻena hana honua e hoʻohālikelike ana i ka ʻeke o kahi mokulele mokulele. ʻO ka hoʻokuʻu mua ʻana o ka catapult i mālama ʻia ma Nowemapa 29, 2012. ʻO ka pae ʻana o ke kaula mua ma ka muliwai ʻo Patuxent i ka lā 4 o Mei, 2013.

I ka hopena o Nowemapa 2012, ua hoʻomaka nā hoʻokolohua mua ma luna o ka mokulele mokulele USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma ke kahua moana ma Norfolk, Virginia. Ma ka lā 18 o Dekemaba, 2012, ua hoʻopau ka X-47B i ka hoʻāʻo ʻana ma waho o ka mokulele ma luna o ka mokulele mokulele USS Harry S. Truman. I ka wā o ka hoʻolaha, ua loiloi ʻia ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana o ka mokulele me nā hangars, elevators a me nā ʻōnaehana ma luna o ka mea lawe mokulele. Ua nānā pū ʻia ke ʻano o ka mokulele i ka wā e hoʻokele ai ma luna o ka moku. Hoʻomalu ʻia ka X-47B mai ka honua a i ʻole mai ka papa o kahi mea lawe mokulele ma o kahi kikowaena mana mamao kūikawā CDU (Control Display Unit). Hoʻopili ka "operator" o ka mokulele i ka forearm a, mahalo i kahi hauʻoli kūikawā, hiki ke hoʻomalu i ka mokulele e like me ke kaʻa ma ka lekiō. Ma ka lewa, hana ka X-47B i nā hana me ka ʻokoʻa a i ʻole semi-autonomously. ʻAʻole mālama ʻia e ka mea hoʻokele, e like me ka hihia me nā mokulele hoʻokele mamao e like me ka MQ-1 Predator a i ʻole MQ-9 Reaper. Hāʻawi ka mea hoʻokele mokulele i ka X-47B i nā hana maʻamau wale nō, e like me ka lele ʻana ma ke ala i koho ʻia, ke koho ʻana i kahi huakaʻi, a i ʻole ka lele ʻana a pae ʻana. Eia kekahi, hana kaʻawale ka mokulele i nā hana i hāʻawi ʻia. Eia naʻe, inā pono, hiki iā ʻoe ke lawe i ka mana pololei.

Ma ka lā 14 o Mei, 2013, ua wehe ka X-47B i kahi mokuna hou o ka moʻolelo o ka mokulele mokulele ʻAmelika. ʻO ka mokulele ma hope o ka hoʻokuʻu ʻia ʻana mai ka papa o ka mea lawe mokulele USS George HW Bush (CVN-77) i lele i 65 mau minuke a pae i ke kumu o ka muliwai Patuxent. Ma Iulai 10 o ia makahiki hoʻokahi, ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia ka X-47B ma luna o ka mokulele mokulele USS George HW Bush. Ua kāpae ka X-47B i ke kolu o ka pae ʻana i hoʻolālā ʻia ma hope o ka ʻike ʻana i kahi anomaly i ka hana o ka kamepiula hoʻokele. A laila hele akula i ka mokupuni ʻo Wallops o NASA, Virginia, kahi i pae ai me ka pilikia ʻole.

Ma Nowemapa 9-19, 2013, ua ho'āʻo ʻia nā X-47B ʻelua ma luna o ka mokulele mokulele USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). ʻO kēia nā hoʻāʻo mua o nā prototype ʻelua. Ma hope o ka lele ʻana he 45 mau minuke, ua hoʻokō ka mokulele i ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana a me ka hoʻopaʻa ʻana. Ua loiloi ʻia kā lākou ʻano i nā makani ikaika a me nā pā mai nā ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe ma mua o nā hoʻokolohua mua. Ma kekahi ho'āʻo'ē aʻe, ua lele kekahi o nā mokulele a puni ka mea lawe mokulele, aʻo kekahi i lele ma waena o ka moku a me ka pae'āina.

Ma ka lā 18 o Kepakemapa, 2013, ʻo ka huina o ka manawa lele o ka X-47B he 100 mau hola. Ua mālama ʻia nā hoʻokolohua ma hope o ka USS Theodore Roosevelt ma Nowemapa 10, 2013. Ua komo nā kahu mokulele mokulele i kahi ākea ākea o ka hoʻokuʻu ʻana a me ka pae ʻana.