The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed for aircraft carrier-based operations.

[2][3] In August 2014, the US Navy announced that it had integrated the X-47B into carrier operations alongside manned aircraft,[4] and by May 2015 the primary test program was declared complete.

[5][6][7] The X-47B demonstrators themselves were intended to become museum exhibits after completing flight testing, but the Navy later decided to maintain them in flying condition pending further development.

[8][9] The US Navy did not commit to practical UCAS efforts until 2000, when it awarded contracts of US$2 million each to Boeing and Northrop Grumman for a 15-month concept-exploration program.

[13] To provide realistic testing, the demonstrator was built to be the same size and weight as the projected operational craft, with a full-sized weapons bay capable of carrying existing missiles.

In November 2011, the Navy announced that aerial refuelling equipment and software would be added to one X-47B in 2014 for testing;[23] they also affirmed that the demonstrators would never be armed.

[22] In 2012, Northrop Grumman tested a wearable remote control system, designed to allow ground crews to steer the X-47B while on the carrier deck.

[25] In June 2012, AV-2 arrived at Patuxent River to begin a series of tests, including arrested landings and catapult launches, to validate its ability to conduct precision approaches to an aircraft carrier.

[27][28] On 26 November 2012, the X-47B began its carrier-based evaluation aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

[29] On 18 December 2012, the X-47B completed its first at-sea test phase; it was remarked to have performed "outstandingly", having proved compatible with the flight deck, hangar bays, and communication systems of an aircraft carrier.

[42] Trials on Theodore Roosevelt in 2014 were intended to test the UAV's ability to swiftly take off, land, and hold in a pattern among manned aircraft without disrupting carrier operations.

[46] In April 2015, the X-47B successfully conducted the world's first fully autonomous aerial refuelling with an Omega Air KC-707 tanker over the coast of Maryland.

The change followed a top-level review and restructuring of the now-defunct unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) project, with later budgets instead funding the MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based aerial refuelling system (CBARS).

[50] In February 2015, the Navy stated that the competition for private tenders for constructing the UCLASS fleet would begin in 2016, with the aircraft expected to enter service in the early 2020s.

[52] In July 2015, the Navy stated that the X-47Bs would remain in flying condition rather than being converted to museum exhibits, allowing for a variety of follow-on evaluations.

In March 2014, the X-47B won the 57th Annual Laureate Award for "extraordinary achievements" in aeronautics and propulsion hosted by Aviation Week.

On 28 August 2013, a Calspan-flown Learjet 25 refueled from a Boeing 707 tanker while flying autonomously as a surrogate aircraft uploaded with the X-47B's technology.

[58] The test was to demonstrate that unmanned and optionally manned aircraft can have an automated aerial refueling capability, significantly increasing their range, persistence, and flexibility.

[1] After the USAF made plans for a next generation bomber following the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, Northrop Grumman proposed a variety of derivatives based on the X-47B, informally called "X-47C" by the company.