Boeing's Phantom Ray Project On Tap Today.

Here is the link to the Boeing Autonomous War Bird 

Last week I featured both the X-48C from Boeing and The X-47B from Northrop Grumman.  This week I am touching base with the Boeing Phantom Ray.

This system has not shown an advancement for aircraft carrier launches as of yet or has a mission capability been defined, other than surveillance capacities.  Looking at its  development and reports one can only speculate that it eventually will make it on an aircraft carrier with an Ad Hoc mission assignment in tandem with the X-47C.  Currently, the X-47C is destined for fighter roles. The Phantom Ray could be a target killer, and surveillance aircraft with both land and sea bases, as in interchangeable roles for multi service operations.  This could fly off the land to a carrier or the carrier could serve in a  "Jeep carrier role", that was established in World War II, where Modified ships brought the fighting airships and equipment forward to a wide array of Islands and other ships. The versatility and flexible role of the Phantom Ray and other like Aircraft are an immense advantage for a theatre of operations. Since they could move these types around the chessboard  in hour to hour change management of its forces during missions.

The strategic/tactical advantage and flexibility of this aircraft is mind boggling for war planners who make strategic and tactical decisions on the fly. Sharing of resources by both the Navy and Airforce in support of each other adds misery to the opposition.  Airbases become strips of roads or a fast deck moving by off the beach.  Both services could share the same aircraft on extended missions and have it land where it needs for reload and send it back from where it came. Isn't the satellite matrix such a handy tool? In ten years Boeing and Grumman will have an inexpensive and multiples of multi role aircraft. A whole genre of service officers will evolve out of Annapolis and Colorado Springs academy's who are real handy in the electronic workstations.  When the Navy starts building a small and fast Aircraft carrier for just drones, then military operation will have reached a significant change. For now, the Phantom Ray's capabilities and mission is not defined, but it sure does fly.