THE CHANGING SHAPE OF UCAVs.

This article reports that the supposedly dead joint unmanned combat air systems (J-UCAS ) program spawns new designs as unmanned combat becomes focus for planners. The parting of the ways between the U.S. Air Force and Navy over the J-UCAS program has triggered a surge in new competition and plans for large, long-endurance aircraft. A number of aerospace companies are looking at designs with multiple engines, wingspans of more than 100 ft. and the potential to generate the power needed for directed-energy weapons or large, active electronically scanned array radars. The latter can produce pulses of microwaves intense enough to serve as weapons.