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Boeing X-45

The History of the Boeing X-45

The Boeing X-45 is a proof-of-concept technology demonstrator developed in partnership with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for a long-established aviation group trying to develop a fully autonomous Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) - US Air Force ( USAF) may take over the solution. The state-of-the-art aircraft first flew on May 22, 2002, with two vehicles completed and used for active testing. After the testing phase was completed, the design did not become an official UCAV contract order from the USAF, which responded to Boeing's attempt to sell its X-45 to the United States Navy (USN). The US Navy preferred Northrop Grumman's competing design (known as the "X-47").

As a result, the X-45 program was terminated, and two original X-45As were donated to American museums - the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

Boeing's "Phantom Ray" became an offshoot of the X-45 work, its maiden flight was in 2011 and only one has been completed so far (2014).

The X-45A adopts its most distinctive form of design, with its strong, clean lines, well-integrated canopy and wide main aircraft. The aircraft has no traditional tail (including vertical tail), and its turbofan engine is buried deep in the upper part of the fuselage, so that the bottom is flat. The single engine is drawn in through air intakes at the front of the design and expelled through shallow openings at the rear - mounted almost across the entire length of the aircraft. The landing gear is fully retractable and has a tricycle arrangement.

Flight controls are autonomous, although a pilot on the ground can input controls if necessary.

Boeing engineers have completed two flyable X-45As on site at its famed Phantom Factory, which will represent future full-scale versions. Then there were general ground and flight tests, followed by gun firing, which proved the sound of the whole machine. The two X-45s sometimes flew together, demonstrating their operational capabilities against simulated threatsautonomously and cooperatively. They use their software for best practices, threat level interpretation and successful resource management.

At the end of their flying days, the pair retired after flying dozens of times.

The X-45 program spawned some notable variants, most notably the X-45A, which remains a proof-of-concept demonstrator. The X-45B was a full-scale version that allowed for improved performance figures, which led to the X-45C in its final form being powered by the F404 family of turbofan engines.

A naval version of this brand was offered to the U.S. Navy as the X-45N, although it was replaced by the Northrop Grumman X-47 and a huge improvement in active-duty carrier trials.

Dimensionally, the X-45A has a barrel length of 26.5 feet, a wingspan of 33.9 feet, and a height of 6.7 feet. It has a curb weight of 8,000 pounds. There are two long internal weapons bays on the abdomen, allowing the carrying of JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) or similar guided-throw bombs. Powered by a Honeywell F124-GA-100 turbofan engine, the X-45A has a top speed of 570 mph (up to Mach 0.75) and a range of 1,500 miles.

Operational limit is 40,000 feet.