Weird California sighting

a reply to: Zaphod58

Which could be interesting in it's own right.

a reply to: BASSPLYR

The F-117 had one on the nose and one under the nose. They used them to lase targets and to see what was around.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Was the companion developed in total dark, or was it a white project that went black?

a reply to: BigTrain

It was black from the start and has stayed deep.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Which leads me to believe it wasn't designed to accompany just the F-117, but to serve a much broader role (strike package EW/ISR/BDA).

a reply to: Northernhollow

It started as an escort for the F-117 but expanded into the Spark Vark mission after it went away.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Spark vark? Nvm Google answered that.

a reply to: Bfirez

EF-111 Raven. Informally know as the Spark Vark as a play on the Aardvark nickname for the -111.

Only EW?

a reply to: Bfirez

Which?

a reply to: Zaphod58

While we're derailing this thread (with no survivors), I've got another piece of speculation, this time about the artichoke.

Since, regardless of who built it, the Companion has been suggested to have an outlandish and yet still quite advanced radar-evading shape, that makes me think it's design is in the same vein as the Tacit Blue, a contoured craft with an outlandish fuselage/wing/empennage layout.

That got me thinking about the artichoke.

If it even existed, all signs have pointed to it being a very Echo-1 looking craft, only with it's highly unconventional tail layout. Which got me thinking about why a craft would need such an outlandish trailing edge.

So my speculation now is whether the artichoke had anything to do with the ATA competition. The biggest challenge, and one of the things that ultimately sunk that project, was the issue of making a carrier-capable stealth craft using 80's technology, which had never been applied to anything with such an emphasis on large control surfaces and low-speed lift.

Northrop proposed their 1/2 scale ATB with thick wings for low-speed lift, and General Dynamics/McDonnell Douglas proposed a spanloader, but both of their earlier stealth demonstrators were RAM-and-contour designs, whose engineering language translated well to flying wings and spanloader.

Now in the early to mid-80s when the ATA project was germinating, Lockheed was still relying on Echo-1 for their (gray/white world) designs like the Senior Peg, and that bird proved how difficult it was to design a faceted flying wing.

Now all indications are that the artichoke was F-111 sized, so is it possible that the artichoke serrations were part of an attempt by Lockheed to develop an F-117 descendant for the ATA competition, with the serrations serving as a way of adding the necessary control surface area to an F-117-derived design while maintaining all-aspect stealth with 80's technology?

a reply to: Barnalby

what about all the talk that the serrations on the trailing edge of the artichoke was some sort of early attempt using porus material to absorb exhaust sound and make the plane quieter?

originally posted by: Barnalby
a reply to: Zaphod58



Since, regardless of who built it, the Companion has been suggested to have an outlandish and yet still quite advanced radar-evading shape

It's not really that outlandish. I'd say the F-117's planform was a lager departure from the norm.

a reply to: Sammamishman

So the Companion was more of an F-22 type design? A normal planform but stealthified?

a reply to: BASSPLYR

I could also buy that idea, along with them maybe acting as Echo-1-compliant area ruling for a transonic design...

What is the link between the F-117 Companion and the Green Lady ?

a reply to: darksidius

None whatsoever, aside, from them both being unknown sighted vehicles, and perhaps from who built them...

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!!
Was just thinking should we have separate threads where we all pour photos,rumours,artist renditions of each type (Black,White,Grey) and nut out differences to eventually arrive at a conclusive ID of each...?

a reply to: Barnalby

I think you're the first to point out the other entrant into the ATA competition. Let's not forget there were two entrants in the XST as well..I'm not suggesting the "companion" is a "losing" bid (with the ATA being both proposals!) but it is food for thought ;-) Happy New Year everyone!

I am retired and have lived outside of Edwards AFB gate for about 8 years and have seen and heard some very cool things. For about two years now NASA/Dryden has been conducting tests with sonic booms and ways to eliminate or minimize the noise and effects. These usually happen once a day during the week in the early afternoon. Thursday’s are very different as the sonic boom will rattle your spine, your house and feel like an earthquake. Wednesday's and Thursday's edition the Antelope Valley Press will usually warn residents of the Thursday event. There are usually 3 booms on Thursday; 1 huge boom and 2 lesser quick booms. I assume that the 2 lesser booms are chase planes but the odd thing is that over the last couple of months on some Thursdays I hear only the smaller "boom, boom" with no major event. It makes me wonder why there are two chase planes with what seems like nothing to chase.

Anyway, the sonic boom testing is how Edwards AFB and NASA/Dryden spin it. I think there are bigger/blacker things in play in aircraft testing but yet to have hard evidence of such.

a reply to: B2StealthBomber