In an unprecedented feat for naval aviation, an unmanned US jet has managed to succesfully land aboard an aircraft carrier. The X-47B, piloted entirely by computer, managed to land aboard the USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia yesterday, paving the way for unmanned aircraft to operate alongisde tradtional planes in the future.
At a cost of $1.4bn, the X-47B won't be making up the US Navy airfleet anytime soon, but four companies are said to be competing now to provide an armed successor for the Navy by the end of the decade
The advancement of unmanned aircraft by the US Navy comes amid growing criticism of America's use of remotely-controlled drones to carry out intelligence and carry out lethal missile attacks against terrorist targets in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen that have led to widespread civilian deaths.
