Predator drones, controlled by humans thousands of miles away, are nothing new in the military’s arsenal. A new plane being developed by Northrop Grumman could take the unmanned aerial vehicle to the next level, landing on aircraft carriers and even refueling in midair by itself, the Register reported. The $100 million X-47B planes are also specially designed to fly undetected by radar and could carry weapons along with surveillance equipment. The planes are set to start land-based tests in the fall of 2009, with carrier testing as soon as 2011. The X-47B is costly but if it works, it could prove just as capable as many Navy pilots, especially if it can deftly land itself on an aircraft carrier. And that could open up a whole new discussion about when manned flights would still truly be necessary.