[kach22i]

Edwards Air Force Base in experimental Jet Set, Test, and No Pilot
:: 28 July, 2007
Engineering Information Press Release: Edwards Air Force Base in experimental Jet Set, Test, and No Pilot

The 500-pound remotely piloted X-48B test vehicle, a blended wing body research aircraft that could fly more people and cargo more quietly in the future, took off for the first time on July 20 from Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The 21-foot wingspan aircraft flew at 8:42 am PDT and climbed to an altitude of 7,500 feet before landing 31 minutes later.

The aircraft resembles a giant stingray and was developed by Boeing in cooperation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The X-48B test vehicle, an 8.5 percent scale version of the full-size design, was built by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. in Bedford, England.

http://news.cnet.com/2300-11397_3-6207999.html


http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/photos_bwb2.htm