DARPA Places New Funding for X-45C Demonstration

Released on Monday, July 11, 2005

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Boeing an additional $175 million to continue the X-45C portion of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) Capability Demonstration Program. The current demonstration program will be extended by 18-month.

This new award continues the demonstration program and adds a full demonstration of a new Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) technology. The autonomous refueling effort will continue ongoing Air Force Research Laboratory and Boeing development activities and culminate in an in-flight X-45C refueling by a KC-135 tanker in 2010.

In parallel, Boeing and the J-UCAS program office are also studying the possibility of developing a robust aircraft carrier-based demonstrator and further expanded surveillance/reconnaissance-oriented capabilities to be integrated onto the J-UCAS.

Boeing previously received $767 million from DARPA in October 2004 to build and flight test three X-45C air vehicles, two mission control elements, and integrate the J-UCAS Common Operating System (COS). The first X-45C will be completed in 2006, with flight-testing scheduled to begin in 2007. Since Boeing began the J-UCAS Advanced Technology Demonstration Program, two X-45A's have flown 55 test missions at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.