GE's F404 engine, one of the world's most widely used to power fighter aircraft, has been selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/U.S. Air Force X-45B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) currently under development by The Boeing Company.

Boeing Phantom Works, the company's advanced research and development element, is integrating the F404 into the single-engine X-45B design. That aircraft is scheduled to fly during 2005. GE will provide three F404 engines for the flight test program.

The UCAV advanced technology demonstration system is being developed by Boeing under a $191 million program awarded in 1999 by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. The program is designed to prove the technical feasibility and capability of multiple UCAV missions that are intended to augment manned fighter missions.

The F404 family powers aircraft of several military services, including the USAF's F-117 Stealth Fighter and the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, and for several governments worldwide. For the UCAV program, Boeing selected the F404-102D, a new engine variant with specific single-engine application reliability and redundancy features. Low observable technology will also be incorporated into the F404-102D for the UCAV program.