On July 10, 2013 , the Navy successfully conducted
take-offs and landings from a fairly new nuclear aircraft carrier, the
USS George W. Bush, with a new stealth jet called theX-47B.
What is so different about this plane is the fact that it is a ‘drone’. Yes,
it is completely unmanned. Drones come in all sizes, and theX-47B is
likely one of the larger ones.
What is so ironic about all of this is, the fact that the enemy cannot detect
a plane like this in the first place. In the unlikely event they get lucky at
shooting one down, there will be no human loss of life or captivity. As you
view the flight deck crew signaling the plane, they are simply signaling the
on-board cameras, which in turn is being manned by staff inside the command
intelligence center ( CIC ) on board the ship.
Also check out the short distance this plane needs for a takeoff. Impressive
indeed