X-47B UCAS-D gets first trap at NAS Pax River | Video

[2sr2worry]

 

[Brett327]

Pretty cool. Wonder what part of that is automated and what part is manually flown.

 

[helolumpy]

Why fly it manually? An Error 37?

That's right, we are all risking our lives to protect this guy's way of life....

 

[e6bflyer]

Pretty cool. Wonder what part of that is automated and what part is manually flown.

I don't know for sure, but if I were a betting man, I would say it is 100% automated. We had the "test" control panel up in PriFly on Lincoln, and there was a touchscreen that controlled it in the pattern. It would show it's position relative to the ship and you could command it to extend upwind, turn downwind, waveoff, etc. We had a C-12 go down to about the 100' point and execute waveoffs for about 6-7 patterns. Pretty interesting.

 

[Brett327]

Wonder how it's going to do when the TACAN goes down, or if it even uses it. I would guess it uses some other flavor of link with the ship's PPLI, or some such.

 

[helolumpy]

Wonder how it's going to do when the TACAN goes down, or if it even uses it. I would guess it uses some other flavor of link with the ship's PPLI, or some such.

I would guess JPALS since it is the future system of record tied into a data link to give the ship's posit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Precision_Approach_and_Landing_System