Photo: Sailors Assist with Onload of UCAS-D Aboard USS Truman

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) assist with the onload of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator. The air vehicle arrived by barge Nov. 26 from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

USS Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft. The Navy plans to conduct X-47B carrier deck handling tests aboard the ship.

Pratt & Whitney's F100-PW-220U engine and exhaust system power the Northrop Grumman X-47B flight test aircraft for the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The F100-PW-220U engine is capable of providing up to 16,000 pounds of thrust and is intended for operation in a maritime environment, including carrier deck operations.

Northrop Grumman awarded a contract to Pratt & Whitney in 2008 to develop and integrate the engine and exhaust system for the X-47B. The Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220U engine is a derivative of the F100-PW-220 and -220E engine models that power the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon.