For instance, Boeing Unmanned Systems (St. Louis) claims that its X-45A robot fighter can be built and operated at one-third the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a piloted fighter currently being developed by Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (Fort Worth, TX).
The X-45A was developed for the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The 26-foot tailless aircraft recently completed a successful test flight, reaching an altitude of 7,500 feet. It has a 34-foot wingspan and weighs 8,000 pounds empty. The combat-ready aircraft will eventually carry up to 12 250-pound bombs at a top speed of 500 to 600 miles per hour and a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. The Air Force expects to have a squadron of the UCAVs flying by 2007.