[B]

First automatic recovery of an UAV on a French Frigat.
http://www.meretmarine.com/lienobjet.cfm?mer_objet_lien_id=14686&id=108547

While DCNS tested a new automatic decking device for those trials, what you have there is an Austrian Camcopter S-100. Similar trials with the S-100 were undertaken in the summer by the Germans as well. I think the key difference is that the DCNS device is the first in the world to enable that kind of UAV to undertake an automatic take-off and land in really rough weather and heavy seas. Normally those things can only get airborne and land again in fairly calmer weather.

You can’t really gauge a country’s capabilities to develop UAVs on the basis of Raven, Corax, SHARC and for that matter AVE-C or D. Rudimentary designs with bits sometimes raided from radio-controlled aircraft parts bins that had no purpose other than tweaking and investigating some of the technologies or looking at the kind of designs that could be used. Things have moved on since most of these flew and certainly since Mike Turner was working for BAE Systems complaining about a lack of funding. The UK has a funded programme now in SUAV(E), that will include two full-scale demonstrator programmes, including a MALE UAV that is based on operational experience, as well as a fully-funded tactical UAV programme. And then look at what Italy is doing. Things have moved on.

I said earlier that they wouldn’t drop weapons physically, although I’m still uncertain as to whether it will actually have weapons bays (even the X-47B will have weapon bays but may not use them during testing). That would certainly make Neuron the first European UCAV demonstrator to drop weapons.

An initial decision is required by 2011 as to whether to proceed with a production UCAV that would most likely replace the Tornado (I think it’s “Deep and Persistent Offensive Capability” or whatever they are calling it this week) to complement the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35. It would enter service sometime after 2020. It may turn out that Taranis doesn’t go any further, they buy off-the-shelf, join another project or don’t buy UCAV at all. The UK does have interests in US UCAV programmes beyond industrial participation by American-based UK companies, so who knows at this stage.

Sort of… The X-45s were not proceeded with, the USN preferring the Northrop Grumman X-47. The X-47B has been ordered; two will be built, in order to conduct carrier testing, and basically prove that the UCAV has a place in the US Navy. If the tests are successful, it is quite probable that the X-47 could become the AQ-47 or whatever they decide to call it. The X-47B will almost certainly drop live bombs, though not in anger (since it is relatively unusual for the military to deploy an ‘experimental’ type to a combat zone).

Sorry I meant X-47B, X-45 being the Boeing proposal for the original J-UCAS requirement. I was not aware of any weapons release as part of the test (UCAS-D) programme with focus primarily on naval air ops integration, carrier launch/recovery and now aerial refuelling as well. The X-47B is being lined up as a possible platform for the US Navy’s N-UCAS and F/A-XX requirements.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2006/12/07/210978/picture-european-ucav-cooperation-hopes-dashed-further-as-bae-systems-unveils-124m-tarantis.html

Sorry wrong link, see below

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/12/11/320019/ucas-d-escapes-budget-cut-threat-with-expanded-role.html

My mistake, it will have two weapons bays, but they won’t be used.

The total amount paid by the European nations towards JSF R&D is half of what Edelstenne quoted. It’s more in the region of four billion dollars if he is referring to the costs towards the actual development programme that the JSF is undergoing now.

Whether it is $80 million or $60 million per aircraft or $xxx millions/billions for LCC costs, Burbage has already said that JSF will be offered to the countries planning to buy at a fixed price by about April or May next year. Unless the LockMart goes back on this proposal, all these prices from the USAF estimates will have little relevance to anyone except the US. Five years of production from 2014 won’t cover all the orders, but it would cover a large slice of the aircraft for all the countries that plan to buy (except the US).

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a1701d4-c011-11dd-9222-0000779fd18c.html