The Phantom Ray project, internally referred to as "Project Reblue" at Boeing, was initially conceived in mid-2007 and officially commenced in June 2008. The project was secret within the company, except for a small number of executives and engineers, until May 2009. Developed by the
Boeing Phantom Works, the Phantom Ray is based on the
X-45C prototype aircraft, which Boeing originally developed for the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the US Air Force, and the US Navy
Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program in 2002. The Phantom Ray was not aimed at any particular military program or competition, although Boeing considered using the design as an entry for the Navy's
Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. The Phantom Ray was unveiled on May 10, 2010, in
St. Louis, Missouri. In November 2010, low-speed taxi tests were carried out in St. Louis. The demonstrator aircraft was to perform ten test flights over six months, supporting missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; seek-and-destroy;
electronic attack; hunter/killer; and autonomous aerial refueling. Boeing anticipated that the Phantom Ray would be the first of a series of new prototype aircraft. having been carried there by the
Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The Phantom Ray flew to 7,500 feet and reached a speed of 178 knots, flying for a total of 17 minutes. ==Specifications==