Message posted by Peter Merlin on May 23, 2020 at 7:08:39 PST:
Yes, it would be nice to have another unveiling. I remember when the Lockheed F-117A was revealed in 1988 following years of speculation about an alleged "F-19" stealth fighter. The faceted shape was as surprising as the designation. I was fortunate to be present for the Northrop TACIT BLUE rollout at the Air Force Museum in 1996. Some of my friends were really disappointed when they saw it. They said, "Someone threw away the plane and kept the box it came in." We are all lucky the plane is still around at all. There were some people in official circles who said it should be broken up and buried in a hole. Boeing unveiled the Bird of Prey in 2002 because the technologies and manufacturing methods involved had become industry standards. I was happy to see that airplane preserved in the AF Museum, as well. Lockheed announced the P-175 Polecat UAV at the Farnborough Air Show in 2006. Too bad it crashed a few months later. At least there are pictures and some video footage. The RQ-170 was unintentionally outed in 2007, when a photographer captured some pictures of it at Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2007. At least, it has now been officially acknowledged. The Lockheed Martin Manta UAV (later curiously designated X-44A) just quietly appeared as a static display at the Los Angeles County Air Show in 2018. It was such a low-key debut that most people entering the show grounds simply ignored the airplane as they streamed in through the entrance. They didn't realize what they were seeing. Over the years, there have been rumors that other programs would be revealed "soon" but then nothing ever materialized. Hopefully, the bureaucracy will eventually let more interesting past projects see the light of day.
In Reply to: When Will The Next Bird of Prey Fly The Nest... posted by Night Stalker on May 22, 2020 at 15:30:06 PST:
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