The Boeing X-45A was a tailless, jet-powered unmanned combat air vehicle built to show that a robot aircraft could attack air defences without a pilot on board. Two were built, and between 2002 and 2005 they flew 64 test flights, dropped inert weapons from internal bays and were flown in pairs by a single operator. Developed by Boeing Phantom Works.
The Boeing X-45A was a tailless, jet-powered unmanned combat air vehicle built to show that a robot aircraft could attack air defences without a pilot on board. Developed by Boeing Phantom Works.
See Specifications for full detail.
The Boeing X-45A was an experimental unmanned combat air vehicle, a tailless jet built by Boeing's Phantom Works for DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. It was designed to show that a robot aircraft could take on the most dangerous job in air warfare, suppressing enemy air defences, without risking a pilot. [1] [2]
Two aircraft flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California between 2002 and 2005 and made 64 flights. They released inert weapons from internal bays and were flown in pairs by a single operator. Then the Air Force cancelled the programme on 2nd March 2006, and the Navy's competing X-47B took over the idea. [1] [3]
The idea came out of the late 1990s, when DARPA and the Air Force wanted an aircraft that could go first into defended airspace. On 24th March 1999 they chose Boeing over Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to carry on with Phase II of the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle programme, a 42-month, $131M effort. Boeing put in $21M of its own money. [4] [5]
The economics were the pitch. Take out the cockpit, the life support and the ejection seat and the airframe gets smaller and cheaper. Boeing's goal was $10M to $15M per aircraft, about a third of the $45M then quoted for a Joint Strike Fighter. The first X-45A was unveiled on 27th September 2000. [4]
The X-45A is a swept flying wing with no tail and no vertical fin. It is 26 ft 6 in long with a 33 ft 10 in wingspan, and a single Honeywell F124 turbofan sits inside the body. It weighs 8,000 lb empty. [1]
Weapons went in two internal bays with four stations each, sized for 250 lb Small Diameter Bombs. The aircraft flew itself, and a ground-based pilot gave high-level commands such as which target to attack, rather than steering with a stick. A modified T-33 flown with the same avionics acted as a stand-in during development. [4]
The first X-45A flew on 22nd May 2002 from Edwards, and the second joined it in November. A weapons test followed in spring 2004: on 18th April an X-45A released a 250 lb inert precision-guided bomb from its internal bay and hit a ground target. [6] [1]
Then came the harder demonstrations. On 1st August 2004 one ground pilot controlled two X-45As in flight at the same time. On 4th February 2005, the 50th flight, the two aircraft shared threat information and decided between themselves which would attack and which would hold back, and a second, disguised threat was then destroyed. Boeing counted 64 flights in total. [1] [3]
The X-45A was always meant to be a stepping stone. In August 2002 DARPA and the Air Force added $460M to build two larger X-45B aircraft, which became the larger X-45C. In October 2004 DARPA gave Boeing $767M for three X-45Cs, and in July 2005 added $175M, partly for autonomous aerial refuelling. [7] [2]
It did not last. The Air Force pulled out on 2nd March 2006, and the Navy chose Northrop Grumman's X-47B for its UCAS-D carrier demonstrator in August 2007, which ended Boeing's X-45N proposal. The single X-45C prototype was finished with Boeing's own money and flew as the Phantom Ray. [1]
Both X-45As were retired to museums. One was inducted into the National Museum of the United States Air Force on 13th November 2006 and stands in the Cold War Gallery, and the other went to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. [8]
Its direct line ended, but the ideas carried on. The idea of one pilot directing several uncrewed aircraft is now the basis of the collaborative combat aircraft programmes. The X-45A proved the concept sooner than the services were ready to buy it. [1]
A total of 2 were built.
No, the Boeing X-45A UCAV has been retired. It retired in 2006.
The Boeing X-45A UCAV first flew on May 22nd 2002.
The Boeing X-45A UCAV has a range of 1,496 mi (2,408 km, 1,300 nmi) combat range.
Both X-45As survive, one in each of two national museums.
Operators included United States Air Force, DARPA and Boeing Phantom Works.
The X-45A last flew in 2005, so it cannot appear on Flightradar24. One aircraft stands in the Cold War Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, and the other is in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | ?? |
|---|---|
| Cruise SpeedCruise Speed — The economical speed an aircraft sustains for the bulk of a flight - lower than maximum speed, chosen for the best balance of time and fuel burn. Glossary → | 613 mph |
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 1,496 mi combat range |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 40,000 ft |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Wingspan | 33 ft 10 in |
| Length | 26 ft 6 in |
| Height | 6 ft 8 in |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 8,000 lb; MTOW: 12,190 lb |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 1 x Honeywell F124-GA-100 turbofan |
| ArmamentArmament — The weapons an aircraft can carry: guns, missiles, bombs and rockets, whether mounted internally, on wing hardpoints, or in bomb bays. Glossary → | Two internal weapons bays with four stations each, sized for eight 250 lb Small Diameter Bombs or similar. Only inert weapons were ever released. |
| Crew | None onboard - flown from a ground station |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | Two internal weapons bays, eight weapon stations in total |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Phantom Works |
| Origin | United States |
| First Flight | May 22nd 2002 |
| Service Entry | Never entered service |
| Retired | 2006 |
| Number Built | 2 |
| Unit Cost | Not publicly disclosed - two demonstrators were built under a cost-shared programme, so there was no unit price. Boeing's production target in 2002 was $10M to $15M per aircraft |
| Combat Losses | No documented combat losses |
There are no recorded accidents or incidents associated with this plane.
| X-45A | The proof-of-concept demonstrator and the only version that flew. A small, tailless, swept flying wing about 27 ft long with a single Honeywell F124 turbofan inside the fuselage. Two were built, the first completed in September 2000, and together they made 64 flights from Edwards before the Air Force ended the programme. |
| X-45B | A larger, more capable Air Force version with a General Electric F404 engine, funded by a $460M contract extension in August 2002 and meant to bring the system within reach of an operational capability by 2008. It was folded into the X-45C plan before any airframe flew. |
| X-45C | The bigger follow-on, with a longer fuselage, a wider wing and an F404 engine. DARPA gave Boeing $767M in October 2004 to build three, and a further $175M in July 2005 added autonomous aerial refuelling work. Only one prototype was finished, and it later flew as the Phantom Ray. |
| X-45N | Boeing's carrier-capable proposal for the Navy's UCAS-D competition, with a first flight planned for November 2008 had it won. The Navy chose Northrop Grumman's X-47B in August 2007 and the X-45N was dropped. The software Boeing wrote for it to land and take off autonomously on carriers was later installed in an F/A-18F, which used it to fly autonomous approaches. |
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Both X-45As survive, one in each of two national museums.
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