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Navy drone, in a first, is catapulted from carrier deck into flight
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/14/191228/navy-drone-in-a-first-is-catapulted.html
Navy drone, in a first, is catapulted from carrier deck into flight
By W.J. HENNIGAN | Los Angeles Times
Posted on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
For the first time in naval aviation history, a drone was catapulted off the deck of an aircraft carrier and soared into flight.
The U.S. Navy conducted the test Tuesday from aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush off the Virginia coast with its X-47B experimental drone.
It's a key milestone in the progression of drone technology and the program, which has been eight years in the making.
"Today we saw a small but significant pixel in the future picture of our Navy as we begin integration of unmanned systems into arguably the most complex war-fighting environment that exists today: the flight deck of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier," Vice Adm. David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces and known as the Navy's "Air Boss," said in a statement.