The Carrier-Launched Predator C

You see a ton of animated pics of a UAV that looks just like Northrop's X-47B carrier-launched stealth drone operating off of U.S. carriers of the 21st Century but this pic from General Atomics serves as a reminder that Northrop isn't the only company vying to build the sea service's first combat ready, carrier-launched attack drone.

This image from GA's booth at the Surface Navy Association's annual convention last week just outside Washington shows one of the company's Predator C Avenger drones (or should I say Sea Avenger) getting ready to be launched from the USS Gerald R Ford's bow by a GA-built electromagnetic catapult.

The Sea Avenger is one of four programs in the mix to build the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) drone. Other entries are Northrop, whose X-47B is gearing up to fly from an aircraft carrier, Lockheed Martin, who makes the Air Force's RQ-170 and Boeing who makes the stealthy Phantom Ray drone.