DARPAhard


Message posted by loopbacktest4echo on January 27, 2010 at 9:29:14 PST:

DHers, I am putting my responses to your questions here. No emailing.

1. The UAV that was being talked about would have been made of cardboard. The missions were one way and the UAV was disposable. This was in the early 1980's. I don't know if it ever entered service.
2. The blimp is on station over the area at very high altitude and serves as a communication relay and intel gathering platform. A lasor can be directed at a mirror on the blimp and the shot is redirected to the target. This was 1990's.
3. The concept was that the NATO fighters had around 12 minutes to get airborne before the Russian fighters were on them. The counter was to built a small UAV that could be launched like a rocket and it would fly out to the incomming attackers and interfere with their operations. One tactic was a bright strobe to blind the pilots. This was to buy time to launch the NATO fighters. This was in the 1970's.
4. The Black Wing Thing. It was 2 in the morning in the desert. I was calibrating antennas for a data run. The wing was completely silent and it dropped in out of no-where. It hovered about 2 feet above the ground. About 8 special forces guys flew out of the back on dirt bikes and took off. Never got a good view of it. Whenever I asked about it I was always told it was that Black Wing Thing. Some called it the wingy thingy.
5. The Lockheed question. They had a hanger where they would make one off alterations to aircraft for specific missions. They were always understaffed. Those were all special one time task modifications for very special operations. 1980's
6. In regards to the missle launch console. I was converting a cruise missle launch shelter into a remote data collection outpost, for those RADAR outliers we were chasing across the Southwest and down under. I took home the launch keyboard and my kids played with it. It's true that the AF asked for it back. This was early 90's.
7. The amatuer radio hijack. When Iraq invaded Kuwait we had some people caught by suprise. They were hiding in Kuwait city. We took over an Amateur radio clubs facilities and ran a packet data link with them until blacker than blacks took over.
8. Yes, the Haystack facilities were hijacked and boy were they mad about it. There is still bad blood about that.
9. Regarding the big dish that appeared last Summer. It's parked all day but it is aimed up after dark. The real question is what is the fence hiding? I could just make out the top of some camo painted military equipment parked inside. The support building is bristling with AC units so they are probably doing alot of computer/data crunching in there. Interesting that it is in the field instead on top of the main buildings where all the spy dishes are. It's probably next gen military GPS testing.
10. I talk with a Def/Aerospace parts fabricator/supplier and he said over the past few years nobody is allowed to talk about anything so everything he contracts to build is considered secret. So naturally he has a wealth of news. He says the customers go ashen faced when he tries to sell them fab services for projects that aren't suppost to exsist. 2009
11. The invisible phantom that was mentioned. There was a large room where the ceiling and walls were painted to look like a blue sky. In the middle of the room was a 1/8 scale F4 model that was covered with light bulbs. I was told that they could make the F4 disappear using the lights. They also had a 1/8 scale MiG (must have been a playmate for the F4). I was never around when this was being tested so I didn't see for myself. This was in the late 80's.
12. I was at RCS lab (early 2002) where they were testing the JSF35. They were testing it part by part. I looked in the eye site and there was a very odd shape being tested. I assumed it was some sort of calibration device. I never gave it a second thought until I saw the drawing. I recognised it at once. It just keeps getting stranger.
13. Pat II is ready to go into hard core customer building. That means testing and qualifying.

Next meeting is mid Feb. Bring a copy of Wired for War, you will need it.


Replies:



[ Discussion Forum Index ] [ FAQ ]