DARPA buys 3 Boeing X-45C

The X-45A did a great job on proving that UCAV's are very capable.

Thats why the Darpa is paying 767 million for 3 Full scale X-45C, and delivery is expected in 2007.

The X-45C will be able to work next to the Navy UAV the X-47B, So the Air Force and Navy will be more cooperative and will be able to do joint bombing missions seemlessly.

The X-45C will go mach .80 and will be able to carry 4,500 lb payload.

Boeing to build 3 X-45C Demonstrators

external image
Big X-45C Pic - 3000 * 2400 Resolution = Cool Wallpaper

I love the looks on that beast, but the tires seem a little plain.

Ya I agree! 44in dubs maybe?

Its a beautiful aircraft.

[edit on 13-10-2004 by Wask]

[edit on 13-10-2004 by Wask]

Does anyone else think that 700 MILLION is a little much for THREE aircraft?

I mean, we could get like SIX RAPTORS for that!

We need spinners on the plane.

maybe they're siphoning money from the budget to pay for black budget aircraft

/cue x-files music

Its quit abit, but remember, the picture your looking at is a mock-up only, no electronics or nothin. So the 767 million id for the first ever entire integration of all the systems, that money will be paying the engineers salary, and this oney is for 3 years worth as well.

Plus its stealth.

What price do you place on the life of a pilot?

When more are built, the price will go way down for each aircraft.

Fair enough, but I don't think too many Raptor pilots would be getting shot down

700 mil. $ is not for 3 aircrafts it's for development and research, the estimated unit price will be between 10-15 mil$, when produced.

You would have thought for these kinds of prices they would just remote control these advanced aircraft. They have the technology.

So are we paying for this or putting it on credit?

Entire US military budget for '03 was on credit. $420 billion dollars worth.

Does this mean that they are killing the X-47????? Its a pretty cool UCAV and will really change they way we fight the air war in the future.

The X-47 is still set to go to the Navy.
The high cost for the 3 X-45's is due to the fact that it is only 3, therefore many of the manufacturing setup costs are rolled into only 3 aircraft instead of hundreds, which would drop the price of individual X-45's greatly.
Also bear in mind that there is a lot of support hardware that must be purchased that also could be spread out across a larger acqusition -
Bottom line - when these enter full scale production the cost will not be anywhere as expensive.

By 2008-2010, right?

Were you being sarcastic?

In case you weren't I think you sould know that UCAV stands for Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle.... In othr words it is remote controled

Correct - at least on paper -
But these UCAV programs are being accelerated so what's on paper and what is really happening may differ slightly.

I surrender.

I remain in the "UCAVs are not the be all end all" club, but I bow to the fact that the financiers, program directors, senior politcians and thier appointed military staff appear to be.

I hope all the computer modelling and range controlled tests are true and accurate indicators of thier potential in field operations and nobody figures out a way to drop them from the sky.

Cheers

Go Eagles!

Woooohoooooo!

I finally found an eagles fan on this site!

The Question is are we both thinking of;

a. the Aussie Rules Football club West Coast Eagles

or

b. McDonnells amazing F-15 Eagle?

My pin-up poster's Eagles is a C model doing a vertical climb high above the Alaskan wilderness with a full load of A2A missiles, with Mt Mackinley (?) in the background.