The U.S. Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat AirSystem (UCAS) program was designed to demonstrate the ability of a tailless, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft to land on and be launched from the flght deck of a Navy aircraft carrier while underway at sea, one of the most challenging aviation environments. Under a contract awarded in August 2007 by the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Northrop Grumman designed, produced and is flght testing two autonomous, low-observable relevant demonstrator aircraft designated the X-47B UCAS.

This 1/48 kit of the X-47B is manufactured by Freedom Models (kit FD18001). My model is built 99% out-of-box with only some minor detailing added to the landing gear and tail hook. The fit of the kit is excellent and based on my research is very accurate. I chose to model the X-47B as it appeared during carrier trials. Being a demonstrator airframe the specific configuration varied a lot.

The A/S32A-32 deck tractor is from Skunkmodels and the figures are from Verlinden and CMK. The display base is pre-printed cardboard from Uschi van der Rosten. The model was finished with Gunze Mr Color laquer paints. The detailed build of this model can be found in the "On the Bench" section here.