Message posted by Sundog on September 24, 2003 at 23:15:12 PST:
Hi everyone, Quote: Some government employees have argued that since McDonnell Douglas had half the YF-23 in the ATF competetion, they knew how to build stealthy aircraft. They further asserted that since Keith Jackson was cleared into a "level four" precursor B-2 program as early as 1981 - an assertion Keith Jackson strongly denies-he was knowledgeable about B-2 stealth. (These same officials admit that knowingcapabilites of stealth are quite different from being able to build it.) And according to one publication, former B-2 program manager Maj. Gen. Richard Scofield said stealth technology was routinely shared between the B-2 and the A-12 programs. However, according to Keith Jackson, the sharing was not done until early 1990, long after the bulk of the A-12 design work was finished. Government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the teams' argument is specious because of other reasons, such as "activities going on in other areas that gave them reason to know." These programs included, but were not limited to, Have Glass, a modification of the F-16; Have Flash, about which I have no information; and Have Key, which was part of the the direct lineage of the design work that led to the A-12. The Have Key design work was an internal design effort but classified by the U.S. Air Force with the Have Key code word. But was Have Key ever built? OK, so: 2) How many think the triangular aircraft seen in the company of F-117's and out west (The two triangular aircraft caught on film that some think were panavia Tornado's?) are the Have Key aircraft and could these currently be the aircraft based out at Tonopah? Also, if anyone picks up the book, there is a good exchange between an engineer at GD and Ben Rich. I can't believe they actually argued with Ben Rich about thermodynamic information!!!..lol.
I have been going through my book on the A-12 Avenger II program, "The $5 Billion Misunderstanding" and on page 161 this information can be found. This is in the book because it deals with compartmentalization and how much GD knew about stealth technology. Here are the paragraphs:
Some have acknowledged that pole models of the Have Key were built. I have good reason to believe that General Dynamics built a flying version of a delta-wing aircraft as a result of its Have Key efforts. Furthermore, I spoke with reporters who heard from individuals who saw delta wing aircraft flying the desert of the western United States. However, Keith Jackson, the Have Key chief engineer, firmly denies any knowledge of such an aircraft. So it is possible that the U.S. Air Force had another manufacturer build it. But a delta-wing flying stealth aircraft seems most likely. While none of this is conclusive, it tends to indicate that manned stealth aircraft-other than the F-117, Tacit Blue, B-2, YF-22, YF-23, and YF-22-have been flying. But according to herbert Fenster, even if the assertion that GD had built a manned aircraft were true-a discussion in which he would not engage-it would not make one whit of difference because of the distinction between cross access and parallel access. No one, according to Fenster, had cross access from the A-12 into any other program, which would have solved the problems about which the navy complained. End of Quote.
1)Has anyone here heard of Have Glass, Have Flash, or Have Key?
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