Unmanned Navy Drone Completes Aerial Refueling In Historic First
- 9 years ago
In a historic first, an unmanned Navy jet was recently refueled mid-air.
Since the first documented maneuver in 1923, aerial refueling has become quite common worldwide.
But the involved planes have always been manned aircraft - until now.
In a historic first, an unmanned Navy jet was recently refueled mid-air.
A report by the Naval Air Systems Command notes, "While flying off the coast of Maryland and Virginia in the Atlantic Test Ranges, the X-47B connected to an Omega K-707 tanker aircraft and received over 4,000 pounds of fuel using the Navy's probe-and-drogue method."
The Navy wants to develop a permanent fleet of X-47Bs that can operate
Since the first documented maneuver in 1923, aerial refueling has become quite common worldwide.
But the involved planes have always been manned aircraft - until now.
In a historic first, an unmanned Navy jet was recently refueled mid-air.
A report by the Naval Air Systems Command notes, "While flying off the coast of Maryland and Virginia in the Atlantic Test Ranges, the X-47B connected to an Omega K-707 tanker aircraft and received over 4,000 pounds of fuel using the Navy's probe-and-drogue method."
The Navy wants to develop a permanent fleet of X-47Bs that can operate