Four Contenders Vying to be the Navy's Top Warplane

In the contest to become the Navy's greatest strike airplane, it's man versus machine. Unmanned aircraft like the X-47B compete against piloted planes like the F-35C Lightning II to see which will dominate the future of naval aviation. These are the four top contenders for the crown. By Joe Pappalardo

1 of 4

Phantom Ray

Manufacturer: Boeing

Selling Point: The company completed its first experimental stealth UAV, the X-45A, in 2000 and sporadically improved the prototype.

Status: In 2011 Boeing paid for Phantom Ray test flights, positioning itself for a pending Navy strike-aircraft competition.

"); AddParamVideo(); }); function AddParamVideo() { var slideTypeVideo = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex - 1].slideTypeVideo_embed_format; var videoContent = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex - 1].slideTypeVideo_3rdparty_embed; if(slideTypeVideo == "3rd party" && videoContent && videoContent.search('')==-1) { var getQString = videoContent.split('>'); var oldString = getQString[0]; oldString=oldString+' wmode="transparent">'; $("[hfbNode='VideoFrame']").show().html(oldString); } } /* * THESE CALLBACKS ARE THE OTHER EVENTS, TO BE POSSIBLY USED FOR OTHER SITES */ function showSponsor() { //Hide - Unhide sponsor logo var slideType = fb._engine.variables.imageLoop[fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex -1].slidetype; if($(".fb_frame_image_sponsored_author").css("display") == "block" && slideType != "Video") $(".frame_sponsor").css("display", "block"); else $(".frame_sponsor").css("display", "none"); if($(".partnerLogo").attr("class") != "partnerLogo") $(".fb_frame_side_right").css("margin-top", "30px"); } /* Hide - Unhide Most Stories in last slide */ fb.callback.viewMain(function(){ LoadDefaultMainPage(); $("#content_sec_mostpopularstories").hide(); }) fb.callback.viewFinalFrame(function(){ LoadDefaultMainPage(); $("#content_sec_mostpopularstories").show(); }); /* Init Hover Event on button top, bottom */ fb.callback.init(function(){ //Image arrow left: $(".fb_frame_image img:first") //Image arrow right: $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)") $("#fb_button_top_next").hover( function(){ $(".fb_frame_image img:first").addClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").addClass("arrowhide"); }, function(){ $(".fb_frame_image img:first").removeClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").removeClass("arrowhide"); } ); $("#fb_button_top_back").hover( function(){ $(".fb_frame_image img:first").addClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").addClass("arrowhide"); }, function(){ $(".fb_frame_image img:first").removeClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").removeClass("arrowhide"); } ); /* Hide - Unhide Tool Tip */ $("#fb_button_bot_next").hover( function(){ $(".fb_backnext_text_area").show(); $(".fb_frame_image img:first").addClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").addClass("arrowhide"); }, function(){ $(".fb_backnext_text_area").hide(); $(".fb_frame_image img:first").removeClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").removeClass("arrowhide"); } ); $("#fb_button_bot_back").hover( function(){ var currentPage = fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex; if(currentPage != 1) $(".fb_backnext_text_area").show(); $(".fb_frame_image img:first").addClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").addClass("arrowhide"); }, function(){ $(".fb_backnext_text_area").hide(); $(".fb_frame_image img:first").removeClass("arrowhide"); $(".fb_frame_image img:eq(1)").removeClass("arrowhide"); } ); showSponsor(); }); /* Next, Back button click event */ function moveTop(){ //Get position of Ad image var position = $("#flipbookAd").position(); //Get position of next button var currentBtnNextPosition = $("#fb_button_top_next").position(); var currentBtnBackPosition = $("#fb_button_top_back").position(); if(currentBtnNextPosition.top > 680 || currentBtnBackPosition.top > 680) window.scrollTo(position.left, position.top); } fb.callback.next(function(){ LoadDefaultMainPage(); //Check if content is too long. moveTop(); }); fb.callback.back(function(){ LoadDefaultMainPage(); //Check if content is too long. moveTop(); }); /*Event For Paging Function in Thumbnails Page*/ function ShowPaging(currentSlide){ var lastSlide = fb._engine.variables.totalThumbPages; var firstSlide = 1; //Default style for paging number $("#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_container a").removeClass("highlite"); $("#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_container a").each(function(){ if(parseInt($(this).text()) == currentSlide) $(this).addClass("defaultSlide"); else $(this).removeClass("defaultSlide"); }); //Default style for button paging if(currentSlide == firstSlide) { //Load style for button on Thumbnail page $("#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_left").removeClass("off").addClass("inactive"); $("#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_right").removeClass("inactive").addClass("off"); } if(currentSlide > firstSlide && currentSlide span:first").text()); var result = (pageIndex / 12); var tempResult = result.toString(); var tempResultSplit = tempResult.split('.'); if(tempResultSplit.length > 1) pageIndex = parseInt(tempResultSplit[0]) + 1 else pageIndex = parseInt(tempResultSplit[0]); $("#currentPage").empty(); $("#currentPage").text(pageIndex.toString()); } function LoadDefaultMainPage(){ //Default style for button on main page var imgIndex = fb._engine.variables.currentImageIndex; if(imgIndex == 1) { $("#fb_button_top_back").removeClass("off").addClass("inactive"); $("#fb_button_bot_back").removeClass("off").addClass("inactive"); } else { $("#fb_button_top_back").removeClass("inactive").addClass("off"); $("#fb_button_bot_back").removeClass("inactive").addClass("off"); } showSponsor(); AddParamVideo(); } function InitEventBtnThumbsClick(){ var framePosition = 0; var lastFrame = fb._engine.variables.totalThumbPages; var firstFrame = 1; var nextFrame = 0; var previousFrame =0; $('#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_left').unbind('click'); $('#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_right').unbind('click'); $('#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_left').click(function() { framePosition = fb._engine.variables.currentThumbPage; if(framePosition > 1) { fb.click.scrollThumbPageLeft(); } }); $('#content-sec_fb_frame_viewthumb_nav_inner_bookend_right').click(function() { framePosition = fb._engine.variables.currentThumbPage; if(framePosition

Related News

America's aircraft carriers face fresh threats. But will the new breed of warplanes that meet those threats be flown by top Navy pilots, or will they be incredibly advanced autonomous UAVs? The dogfight for the future of navy flying is on. Read More

PM reported on the first airplane-carrying ships, then called "flying boats," way back in 1914. From these humble beginnings, naval aviation has come to dominate global affairs. It's been a busy 100 years. Read More

The U.S. Navy's robotic aircraft will operate autonomously, but they will still require people onboard to land. Here's how those human officers will help UAVs land safely on the limited real estate of an aircraft carrier. Read More

The U.S. Navy just completed the inaugural test flights of its second X-47B, and PM got more new photos of this futuristic UAV. Read More

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/planes-uavs/4-contenders-vying-to-be-the-navys-top-warplane?src=rss

footloose best iphone 4 case best iphone 4 case sonic youth sonic youth make your mark make your mark