http://www.wtop.com/46/2903095/UFO-on-the-Beltway-Not-quite

I was heading west on the outer loop just past exit 30/rt 29 (between 95 and 270 in Maryland) around 9:40pm and saw this thing heading east with a huge police escort. The inner loop was backed up badly due to roadwork just a few miles ahead so I imagine they all got stuck in traffic.

The video in WTOP's link (shot Dec 19, 2011) is close to what I saw tonight, but tonight's aircraft had more of a hydrofoil-like base or stand underneath which was also wrapped in tarp. Pretty neat. I bet it generated a tons of calls to WTOP.

WTOP's article says "X-46B" but the general consensus is that this aircraft is a Northrop Grumman X47-B UAV, and the specifications don't leave much room to doubt: "82 feet long, 32 feet wide and 14 feet high" (WTOP article) vs "Length 38.2 ft, Wingspan 62.1 ft extended/30.9 ft folded, Height 10.4 ft" (Wikipedia page for the X-47B). Probably to replace the UAV that crashed near the PAX River navy base last Monday. Must still be in testing if they went through all this trouble not fly it, the X-47B has a 2,000+ mile range.

Pictures:
https://twitter.com/nmbrsbypnt/status/213092585609236482/photo/1/large
http://imgur.com/usFcl

Better pictures anyone?

I didn't know Maryland was in Fairfax County.

'Tard.

@Geography - apparently for you, reading comprehension is also as difficult......


Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.

That thing looks cool.

UFO on the Beltway? Not quite
Thursday - 6/14/2012, 4:00am ET
http://www.wtop.com/41/2903095/UFO-on-the-Beltway-Not-quite

Twitter exploded late Wednesday evening with reports and photos that a UFO landed on the Capital Beltway near College Park. Construction at Kenilworth Avenue had traffic backed up, which escalated concerns that something big was happening.

Maryland State Police at the McHenry Barrack have confirmed the aircraft seen on the Beltway was a military airplane being moved from West Virginia to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Southern Maryland.

The plane is 82 feet long, 32 feet wide and 14 feet high. The X-46B is the same type of military vehicle that crashed earlier this week near Salisbury, Md.



This isn't the first time an aircraft like this has been confused for a UFO. Check out the video below from military.com of a similar craft in Kansas. Defense Tech reports the one below also was headed to Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
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Second X-47B UCAS-D Arrives at NAS Patuxent River
Paxtuxent River, MD - 6/14/2012
http://www.thebaynet.com/news/index.cfm/fa/viewstory/story_ID/28139

It was not an ordinary morning at Pax River when a large flatbed truck hauling the fighter-sized X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) entered through the naval air station’s gate.

Navy and Northrop Grumman personnel welcomed the second X-47B, known as Air Vehicle (AV) 2, June 14 after its cross-country drive from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where the aircraft spent the past six months completing initial flight tests.

“Our initial test phase at Edwards Air Force Base was very successful, and I am confident we will see the same success at Pax River as we prepare for shore-based carrier suitability tests in the fall,” said Capt. Jaime Engdahl, Navy UCAS program manager.

Engdahl said he was impressed with AV-2’s performance at Edwards and although it was the second aircraft to fly, it achieved several significant firsts for what he refers to as “Team UCAS.” On a single day in May, AV-2 flew two consecutive flights; completed a heavy-weight landing; reached a high-speed test point; and completed a touch-and-go for the first time.

AV-2 is identical to its sister aircraft, except it incorporates the hardware required to perform autonomous aerial refueling (AAR), a technology the UCAS-D team has been developing to fuel unmanned aircraft in flight.

The Navy UCAS program is a demonstration intended to identify and reduce technical risks associated with developing potential future unmanned, carrier-compatible systems. The program will also demonstrate an AAR capability, which has the potential to significantly increase the endurance and range of carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

The second X-47B, known as Air Vehicle (AV) 2, arrives at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., June 14 after its cross-country drive from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. AV-2 is identical to its sister aircraft, which arrived at Pax on Dec. 20, except it incorporates the hardware required to perform autonomous aerial refueling (AAR), a technology the UCAS-D team has been developing to fuel unmanned aircraft in flight. (U.S. Navy photo by Steven Kays)
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They have been flying them for some time. I wonder why they didn't fly it into PAX River. Some sort of restrictions about it operating over populated areas ?

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/09/us-navy-wants-to-replace-f-35s-with-x.html




Within five years, the navy plans to have the X-47B demonstrating the ability to regularly operate from a carrier, and perform combat (including reconnaissance and surveillance) operations. The new efforts aim to have UCAS aircraft perform ground attack missions as well, something the Predators have been doing for over a decade.

The X-47B weighs the same as the F-18, and has two internal bays holding two tons of smart bombs. Once it can operate off a carrier, the X-47B will be used for a lot of bombing. Sort of a super-Reaper. The navy has been impressed with the success of the Predator and Reaper. But the Reaper weighs only 4.7 tons. The much larger, 15 ton, X-47B uses a F100-PW-220 engine, which is currently used in the F-16 and F-15.
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