According to The Navy Times, a decision is expected soon as to which of two competitors will continue development of a new unmanned carrier-based strike aircraft for the U.S. Navy. The competition is between the Boeing X-45N and Northrop Grumman's X-47B test aircraft. One of the companies will be chosen as the prime contractor to build and fly the new aircraft. The program is intended to develop the first UAVs specifically designed for combat operations from aircraft carriers, characteristics that will give the Navy a major new long-range strike capability.

Boeing's X-45 was first developed as a land-based aircraft, while Northrop's X-47 was designed from the outset as a carrier plane — an aspect Northrop feels gives it a leg up on the competition. The X-47 weighs almost 20 tons and has a 60-foot wingspan. It will be able to carry 3000 pounds of ordnance for seven hours without refueling. In addition, the X-47 can be refueled from tanker aircraft in mid-air, raising the possibility of long flights — limited only by requirements for maintenance inspections.

The Boeing contender seems to be less well defined. The single X-45C prototype has not yet flown. However, the earlier X-45A carried out 64 mishap-free, unmanned combat flights, according to Boeing.

The UCAS-D aircraft, also known as UCAS-N, for Navy, "will be the arm of a global strike network," said Bob Work, a naval analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, during a briefing last week at the Capitol. Work said the long-range aircraft "can add a margin of range, stealth and persistence not seen in past carrier air wings."

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