Pratt & Whitney and Northrop Grumman have begun ground testing the power plant for the X-47B Joint Unmanned Combat Air System at Pratt & Whitney's advanced test facility in West Palm Beach, Fla

Interavia Business & Technology, Autumn, 2005

Pratt & Whitney and Northrop Grumman have begun ground testing the power plant for the X-47B Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) at Pratt & Whitney's advanced test facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. Pratt & Whitney completed assembly of the first ground test engine at the company's engine center in San Antonio, Texas.

The engine was delivered in June and has accumulated over 80 ground test hours to date. The J-UCAS engine is a modified version of the Pratt & Whitney F100-220E that powers current F-15E and F-16 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney joined the Northrop Grumman-led J-UCAS X47 team in 2003. The team will produce up to three full-scale X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrators for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The X-47B is Northrop Grumman's initial air vehicle configuration for the modular X-47 system, which is capable of supporting a broad range of advanced unmanned air vehicle configurations and military operational performance requirements.