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The US navy will attempt to land a drone the size of a fighter jet aboard an aircraft carrier for the first time, showcasing the military's capability to have a computer program perform one of the most difficult tasks a pilot can be asked to do.
The X-47B experimental aircraft will take off on Wednesday from naval air station Patuxent River in Maryland before approaching the USS George HW Bush off the coast of Virginia. The drone will try to land by deploying a tailhook that will catch a wire on board the ship and bring it to a quick stop, just like normal fighter jets do.
The manoeuvre is known as an arrested landing and has previously only been done by the drone on land.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/ju ... ft-carrierThe X-47B will never be put into operational use, but it will help navy officials develop future carrier-based drones. Those could begin operating by 2020, according to Winter.
http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/07/09/ ... touchdown/
For those really interested in following this up-to-the minute: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23X47B
