US Navy UCLASS RFP slips again

The Navy was supposed to send out the Request For Proposals (RFP) for the new Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) some time this month, but has now delayed it until sometime in early 2013.

The problem appears to be one of defining what the service needs in the platform, and trying to get the perfect platform. They should be working on getting a less perfect, capable platform in the air. The Navy plan is to have at least one squadron ready to train on a carrier by 2020 (they won't deploy until some time after that). That's only seven years if they get the bidding process right the first time, and we've all seen how the military has done lately with bidding.

It's expected that Northrop Grumman will offer an X-47 variant, Lockheed will offer the Sea Ghost, General Atomics a variant of the Predator C, and Boeing a new design based on what they learned with the X-45C Phantom Ray.

The US Navy has delayed a request for proposals (RFP) for its unmanned carrier-launched surveillance and strike (UCLASS) aircraft programme until next year.

"We are looking at the early part of 2013 now," the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) says. A draft RFP is now likely to be released between January and March, possibly due to difficulties in finalizing the requirements for the new programme. Previously, the RFP was scheduled to be released this month.

www.flightglobal.com...

reply to post by Zaphod58


The U.S. Military is under a directive to have a large percentage of their Aircraft, Transport Vehicles, Ground Attack Vehicles, New Advanced Underwater Fighter Craft, Carrier Aircraft...etc...completely Robotic by 2036.

Certain percentages must be Robotic before the end of this decade.

The main reason why we are not going to produce large numbers of F/A-22's and F-35's is that Robotic Craft will constitute the main body of the U.S. Military's capabilities very soon.

Split Infinity

Originally posted by Zaphod58
The Navy was supposed to send out the Request For Proposals (RFP) for the new Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) some time this month, but has now delayed it until sometime in early 2013.

This right here should convince some people that are into an unrelated topic ( 21st Dec. ) that we should be ok

On topic, thanks for bringing forth this news, S&F for you sir.


SS

The rise of the machines!

Somehow it seems that we just might catch up to SciFi.

Shades of the Sarah Conner Chronicles.

Soon the only way to fight back will be asymmetrical warfare aimed squarely at US citizens. Justifiable if that is the only way and the US keeps killing civilians in other countries because 'they look like terrorists.'

"Hey, a towel head! Fire!" Pretty much covers it. Wait 5 minutes for rescuers to turn up and its Fire 2.

It is truly a sad, sad world!

P

Oh how fun to watch the technological development competitions and what amazing machines they make.

With unmanned aircraft inevitably taking a leading role to establish air superiority, their numbers alone increase the unavoidable risk of them being captured and salvaged by the enemy.

I certainly would like to believe the military will implement an anti-propaganda device that should one be captured, and taken into a secret hanger to be surrounded by scientist and VIP's, a mechanism could be triggered at that point to detonate it...taking it's captors with it.

reply to post by Lonewulph


One of the more interesting quotes I've heard about the Sentinel that went down in Iran was "If we had been flying it, instead of Lockheed, it never would have come down in one piece." There's a new piece of DARPA tech that will destroy any circuit board that it lands on. It looks like water, but when poured onto a circuit board, it acts like acid, only it completely destroys what it lands on..

Would these drones be required to land on a carrier similar to the manned version?

I can see that being a critical aspect to consider. I did not know the technology existed for computer guided carrier landings as pilots remain in control to land on carriers currently dont they?

reply to post by MDDoxs


The UCLASS will be the first production UAV that will operate off a carrier. The X-47 is proving that it can be done, for the UCLASS that will follow.