Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems

Apparently this arrangement was driven from the office of the secretary of defense, the idea being that DARPA would be able to keep the development effort on track until advanced demonstrators were available, and then the program would have so much momentum that it would keep on going.

The long list of US military UAV programs that have been bungled and dropped after much expense and effort, with some of them like the Hunter ending up effectively reaching operational service in spite of it, provoked the decision.

DARPA and Boeing had been working on the "X-45B", a scaled-up X-45A that was seen as the prototype for an operational machine that would reach service in 2008, and would carry a 1,590 kilogram (3,500 pound) warload to a combat radius of 1,665 kilometers (900 nautical miles).

The alliance, which repeats the successful teamup that won the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter effort, is focused on building a modular stealthy UCAV that could be adapted to a wide range of missions.

"[2] The goal of the J-UCAS effort is to develop a "versatile combat network in which air and ground components are nodes that can be changed over time to support a wide range of potential missions.

The HPM weapon would be "fired" out an aperture on the front of the aircraft, with electronic steering used to direct the beam over an arc covering about 45 degrees to either side of the UCAV.

A big concern of program officials is to ensure that widespread use of UCAVs does not increase the number of friendly fire incidents or collateral damage to civilian targets.