With the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Department of the Navy, the Boeing Phantom Works is developing an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) to provide the Navy with a robust surveillance, suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) and deep strike system that has low acquisition, operations and support costs.

The UCAV-N system consists of an air vehicle, mission control station and support elements. This system is being designed to operate in the demanding aircraft-carrier environment, requiring 50 percent less space than manned aircraft and functioning with minimal input from a ship-based operator.

The air vehicle depicted on this card would be roughly 32 feet long, have a 40-foot wing span, and stand seven feet high. Two large internal bays would allow the vehicle to carry up to 4,500 pounds of munitions up to 650 nautical miles for SEAD or strike missions. Or, equipped with advanced sensors only, the vehicle could perform surveillance missions for up to 12-hours.