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Lockheed and Skunk Works have not always been together mind you.
Also Lockheed owns Martin too. You know that Lockheed and Martin and Skunk Works do not always come out on top.
I'm sure there are more... and for that matter are some possibly secret manufacturers.
But think about it... we have more than just Lockheed and Skunk Works planes.
Originally posted by American Mad Man
Lockheed and Skunk Works have not always been together mind you.
Also Lockheed owns Martin too. You know that Lockheed and Martin and Skunk Works do not always come out on top.
I'm sure there are more... and for that matter are some possibly secret manufacturers.
But think about it... we have more than just Lockheed and Skunk Works planes.
Yes, of course I am aware that they are not the only manufacturer and that there is a reason it is called Lockheed-MARTIN.
My point was to illustrate that they seem to get a a high percentage of the cutting edge "black" projects. I was Interested as to why that is, or if it is even the case. But it seems to me that that is where the military turns to to get most of their advanced aircraft.
As for the SR-71 being a Mach 5 aircrat and having double the altitude, I would like to know how you know this, because it seems to me that it would make the idea of the Aurora stupid, as the SR-71 would be hypersonic and fulfill it's requirement.
Originally posted by Shugo
Lockheed and Skunk Works have not always been together mind you.
Originally posted by devilwasp
i think the sweedish company that made the JAS 39 Gripen would have to be a great rival
that thing is greeat aircraft and is really clever with its radar
Originally posted by Popeye
Can't remember what the Northrop equvilant is called, can anyone provide the answer?
[Edited on 2-4-2004 by Popeye]
Originally posted by SimonGray
Originally posted by Popeye
Can't remember what the Northrop equvilant is called, can anyone provide the answer?
[Edited on 2-4-2004 by Popeye]
Northrop has the "Tejon Ranch" facility near the Tehachapi Mountains north of Lancaster, California.
Boeing also has a secretive research facility often referred to as the Llano Facility located at the closed Gray Butte Airport in Llano, California.
... don't forget Lockheed's Hellendale facility...
www.abovetopsecret.com...
THere was such a facility in Germany hidden from all including the USA for almost 10 years. In that time they worked on stealth and developed a supersonic stealth jet fighter that reportedly used alot of the same design techniques the F-117 used. Infact I gather US engineers paniced when they saw it in 1987 cause the design was more advanced than F-117[ which had been operational since the early 80s].
But the German design was at the prototype stage as the cold war ended thus the bottom fell out of the project. I gather the research continues to this day and is being called on the develope a stealth fighter bomber for the UK/Germans in 10 years or so to replace the Tornado strike jet.
Correspondingly the UK is also building such a facility to further develope stealth technolgy.
Originally posted by Shugo
Also the SR-71 went more like Mach 5 to be exact. Altitudes were basically doubled and it flew in the 1950's. There are somethings with the Blackbird that still haven't been found.
Originally posted by SimonGray
Originally posted by Shugo
Also the SR-71 went more like Mach 5 to be exact. Altitudes were basically doubled and it flew in the 1950's. There are somethings with the Blackbird that still haven't been found.
This is a highly inaccurate estimation. The airframe of this aircraft would be totally incapable, practically and technically, of withstanding the stresses of hypersonic travel at such an altitude.
While the SR-71 is still in my opinion one of the most amazing aerospace achievements man has created, it is not capable of the performance you have stated... but it no doubt led to the research of such demonstrators.
Anyone with any common knowledge of black world aerospace technology (not the conspiracy mumbo-jumbo but known fact) will be aware that stealth technology has been around since the 70s. Hypersonic manned flight was achieve back in the late 50s... just makes you wonder half a century later what the U.S. black world is flying out there.
Forget aliens, those flying saucers are demonstrating our technological level now!