# U.S. Air Force Reveals Operational Stealth UAV



## Mumbodog

http://gizmodo.com/5419363/usaf-confirms-new-secret-stealth-plane

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blog...&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest


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## JohnWill

There is a lot of activity in this arena.

I personally worked on the development of the X-47 fuel system, the fuel system project was completed several years ago, so I have to believe they're close to flying the thing. Roll out of the first unit was in December 2008. The X-47 is the Navy version that will be able to operate from aircraft carriers, Boeing is developing the X-45 for the Air Force. Both of these unmanned combat air vehicles will have in-flight refueling and carry over 4000 pounds of bombs. They also have stealth features as you can see.









*Northrop Grumman X-47*









*Boeing X-45*


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## paisanol69

JohnWill said:


> There is a lot of activity in this arena.
> 
> I personally worked on the development of the X-47 fuel system, the fuel system project was completed several years ago, so I have to believe they're close to flying the thing. Roll out of the first unit was in December 2008. The X-47 is the Navy version that will be able to operate from aircraft carriers, Boeing is developing the X-45 for the Air Force. Both of these unmanned combat air vehicles will have in-flight refueling and carry over 4000 pounds of bombs. They also have stealth features as you can see.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Northrop Grumman X-47*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Boeing X-45*


...I don't think that "designation-systems.net" appreciated you attempt to get them a little bit of web exposure

I wish those links you posted worked, I would have liked to see those 2 models!


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## guy2

Stealth is such a wastes of resources ,the other nations are working hard to render stealth obsolete and see it as the holy grail of sticking it to the man. 

It will turn out to be a another massively failed project in a few years or so seeing how technology is moving massively forward in other places besides our own.

Just like every new virus

This might have already happened ,you never know.

Maybe somebody somewhere has got their fingers crossed behind their back.


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## Bryce98

Wow! That thing looks awesome!. I'll be watching the news for it.


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## hewee

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-47b.jpg

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-45c-1.jpg

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/x-47.html

http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/


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## Mumbodog

> Stealth is such a wastes of resources


Yeah, it was such a miserable failure in Iraq....sarcasm intended.

Stealth is just one step toward other advanced technologies, so just give up, don't develop anything? Sometimes waste is the gateway to discovery.

.


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## JohnWill

guy2 said:


> Stealth is such a wastes of resources ,the other nations are working hard to render stealth obsolete and see it as the holy grail of sticking it to the man.
> 
> It will turn out to be a another massively failed project in a few years or so seeing how technology is moving massively forward in other places besides our own.


It could be that you don't know what you're talking about.  Care to cite some actual references where stealth has been rendered obsolete? Hard to imagine you're the only person that knows this interesting tidbit.


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## JohnWill

paisanol69 said:


> ...I don't think that "designation-systems.net" appreciated you attempt to get them a little bit of web exposure
> 
> I wish those links you posted worked, I would have liked to see those 2 models!


Funny, I see the two pictures I posted.


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## Mumbodog

> Funny, I see the two pictures I posted.


You must be the only one










.


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## JohnWill

That's really odd, I see both pictures when I look at the thread right now! 

How do you like that?


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## paisanol69

JohnWill said:


> That's really odd, I see both pictures when I look at the thread right now!
> 
> How do you like that?


......screen shot JW, love the look of those 2 planes!!!:up:

I dont know why I couldn't see them in your first post, all I saw was....

Your security clearance must be "higher"than mine


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## JohnWill

paisanol69 said:


> ......screen shot JW, love the look of those 2 planes!!!:up:
> 
> I dont know why I couldn't see them in your first post, all I saw was....
> 
> Your security clearance must be "higher"than mine


Well, I work on unmanned stealth combat vehicles, of course it is!!  

Don't have a clue why it works differently for you. BTW, they were also visible in your quoted message, it was only the screen shot you posted that showed the error you're getting.

Your location may be the clue: NETHERLANDS Perhaps these links only work in the US?


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## paisanol69

JohnWill said:


> *Well, I work on unmanned stealth combat vehicles, of course it is!! *
> 
> Don't have a clue why it works differently for you. BTW, they were also visible in your quoted message, it was only the screen shot you posted that showed the error you're getting.
> 
> Your location may be the clue: NETHERLANDS Perhaps these links only work in the US?


....be the reason, however I did visit the website, and could veiw all the different photos posted there. Strange !!

WRT the highlighted text in the above quote, I always wondered what you called your avitar, over here in Holland, the folks usually call em a cat, armed and dangerious!


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## JohnWill

I call it a cat, armed and dangerous. 

Don't have a clue why the links don't work for you, that's certainly odd...


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## Noyb

I've ran into the *Hotlinking Images Not Allowed *Before ..

Once was when I tried to link to an Upload I placed on another Forum.
I was thinking this was a way to shut down the web crawler bots ???
Or prevent the hosting source from being responsible for Copyright problems...
Not to protect national security

Are either of those UAVs Swing wings ... The Navy almost looks Photoshopped


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## JohnWill

The Navy's is photoshopped, that was before it was available!  They actually have a real one now, but that's a picture from several years ago. However, the actual plane really does look like that.

It's yet to make it's first flight, I doubt they have it on a carrier just yet.


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## Noyb

I thought I saw some photoshopping.
Are they swing wings .. or is that classified


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## JohnWill

The wings on the real documentation actually look like that. That's a pretty accurate representation of the actual plane, at least for the drawings we worked with designing the fuel system. Since the fuel is in the wings, the shape of the wings was key in the design.


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