Boeing Begins X-45C Unmanned Aircraft Assembly
ST. LOUIS, June 8, 2004 Boeing [NYSE: BA] started
assembling its Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems
(J-UCAS) X-45C aircraft today, loading the aft
"carry-through frame into a holding fixture inside
the companys St. Louis manufacturing facility. The
86-pound aluminum part, which spans the back end of
the vehicle, will soon be mated with the two X-45
engine keels. Boeing previously built two X-45A
vehicles, which are currently being flight-tested at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The much larger X-45C
will be 39 feet long with a 49-foot wingspan and is
scheduled for first flight in mid-2006.
To help improve reliability, quality
and also reduce costs, Boeing has incorporated lessons
learned from building the A vehicles, as well as
best practices from across the company, resulting in
an extremely lean manufacturing process.
Thanks to advanced design and
manufacturing techniques coupled with our lean
processes, we expect the X-45C parts to come together
easily and quickly, said Darryl
Davis, Boeing J-UCAS X-45 program manager. On both
the A and C vehicles, weve greatly reduced the amount
of expensive hard tooling needed and we are using
laser
tracking for more efficient assembly.
The J-UCAS X-45 program is a Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency/U.S. Air Force/U.S.
Navy/Boeing effort to demonstrate the technical
feasibility, military utility and operational value of
a networked system of unmanned air vehicles for both
the Air Force and the Navy. Operational missions for
the services may include suppression of enemy air
defenses; deep strike; electronic attack; and
intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance.
The X-45C vehicle will be able to cruise at 0.85 Mach,
with a 4,500-pound payload, and fly at 40,000 feet
with a mission radius of 1,300 nautical miles.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense
Systems is one of the world's largest space and
defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing
Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business.
It provides systems solutions to its global military,
government and commercial customers. It is a leading
provider of intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft
manufacturer; the world's largest satellite
manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based
communications; the primary systems integrator for
U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a
global leader in launch services.
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Scott Cable
KR-2S # 735
Wright City, MO
s2cab...@yahoo.com
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