Boeing 747 w/X-45C "Phantom Ray", Edwards AFB (Military) DRW-56330

Boeing 747 w/X-45C "Phantom Ray", Edwards AFB (Military) 1:400 Scale The Phantom Ray X-45C is a top-secret unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) that comes from Boeing’s Phantom Works. Known internally as Project Reblue at Boeing, private design work began in mid-2008, although the program’s existence wasn’t revealed until a year later. The Phantom Ray was unveiled in May 2010 in St. Louis, with the craft having an 11m-long fuselage and 15m wingspan. Although it’s the size of a fighter aircraft, the stealthy craft is unmanned and the design isn’t aimed at any particular competition or requirement. The Phantom Ray demonstrator is currently undergoing testing in the areas of surveillance, ground attack and autonomous aerial refuelling. The craft is based on the X-45C prototype that Boeing developed for the American military Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program. Phantom Ray undertook its maiden flight on 27 April 2011 from Edwards Air Force Base, and was powered by a General Electric F404-GE-102D engine to a top speed of Mach 0.85. Dragon has produced a fine 1/400 scale model of the advanced Phantom Ray perched atop its Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (N905NA). This 747 carried the Phantom Ray aloft for a 50-minute test flight on 13 December 2010. On the following day, the SCA took the UCAV to Edwards Air Force Base to begin a battery of tests. The swept lambda wing and streamlined shape of the UCAV is recreated in fine detail. As a conceptual UCAV design that was only recently revealed, the model employs all-new tooling. The support frame for it when carried on the 747 is also new. This is a masterpiece of model engineering, one that mimics the advanced research being invested in this conceptual demonstrator by Boeing.