The second X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator completed its first flight on November 21, 2002, after taking off from a dry lakebed at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.
X-45A vehicle two flew for approximately 30 minutes and reached an airspeed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7500 feet. This flight validated the functionality of the UCAV flight software on the second air vehicle.
Dryden supported the DARPA/Boeing team in the design, development, integration, and demonstration of the critical technologies, processes, and system attributes leading to an operational UCAV system. Dryden’s support of the X-45A demonstrator system included analysis, component development, simulations, ground and flight tests…Learn more
X-45A #2 was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio in August of 2006.