NASA's Ikhana, a modified General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Predator B, glided in for landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of the first checkout test flight of the new Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) aircraft tracking technology on an unmanned aircraft system.
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NASA’s Ikhana, a modified General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Predator B, glided in for landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of the first checkout test flight of the new Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). It was the first time an unmanned aircraft as large as Ikhana – with a 66-foot wingspan, a takeoff weight of more than 10,000 pounds, and a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet – has flown while equipped with ADS-B. ADS-B is an aircraft tracking technology that all planes operating in certain U.S. airspace must adopt by January 2020 to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.March 15, 2012NASA Photo / Tony Landis