Watch a Drone Take Off From an Aircraft Carrier for First Time

Northrup Grumman's X-47B drone has made aviation history as the first autonomous aircraft to take off from an aircraft carrier at sea. Carrier takeoffs are among aviation's most complicated and dangerous operations and, until now, required a human pilot

The X-47B, however, shares a problem with the legendary Indiana Jones: It can't land — on carriers, at least. Tuesday's test flight began on the deck of the U.S.S George W. Bush and ended with a smooth arrival at a base in Maryland

If taking off from a carrier is one of the hardest maneuvers in aviation, then landing on one is probably the hardest. Carrier landings require Navy pilots to compensate for the movement of their aircraft, the ship's ever-moving deck, wind speed and wind direction to (hopefully) connect their aircraft's tailhook with one of several steel arresting wires. So it's no surprise the technique is still beyond drones' capabilities Read more...