The United States Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) Program—Born from the former Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program, the Navy UCAS program will develop a strike fighter-sized unmanned air system that can carry out surveillance and precision strike missions. Under a competitively awarded August 2007 contract, Northrop Grumman Corporation will build two prototype air vehicles to demonstrate that such an unmanned aircraft can be effectively and safely integrated into aircraft carrier-based launch and recovery operations. Success in the demonstration program will set the stage for a potential full scale UCAS development effort in support of the Naval Aviation Master Plan, which includes provisions for the introduction of a Navy UCAS in the 2018 time-frame.
