Northrop Grumman Touts Its N-UCAS

Northrop Grumman officials are promoting their unmanned strike aircraft being designed for the U.S. Navy as a “first-generation” unmanned combat aerial system (UCAS) with capabilities that include early missile defense intercepts.

The platform for a new strike fight design is based on the NG's X-47B, but NG is assembling an internal system that could fit into a variety of airframes. The aircraft could incorporate air-to-air refueling and advanced sensors, targeting, and weapons.

Officials are also contending that their F-35's and NG's UCAS would be a more powerful combination than Boeing's Super Hornet teamed up with the UCAS because of the F-35's ability to penetrate foreign airspaces in combination with the UCAS.

NG claims the UCAS would be capable of carrying a payload of electronic attack devices, which is important as the United States military (mainly Navy) is to begin phasing out its main electronic attack aircraft, the EA-6B Prowler, in 2012.

And, as you can see from the above picture, the aircraft will be quite stealthy, incorporating next-gen stealth technology.