Top Document: rec.aviation.military Frequently Asked Questions (part 2 of 5) Previous Document: C.2. Does the USAF have a hypersonic spyplane called "Aurora"? Next Document: C.4. Why wasn't the B-1 or B-2 used in Desert Storm? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge A report in _Aviation Week and Space Technology_ in mid 1991 described a "triangular flying wing" reconnaissance aircraft, developed by Northrop (now Northrop Grumman) from 1982, designated TR-3A and nicknamed "Black Manta". According to the report, the aircraft had a length of about 13 metres, wingspan of about 19 metres, and a range of 5600 kilometres; it had been deployed for trials to Alaska, Okinawa, Panama, and the UK, and a few had been employed in Desert Storm in the reconnaissance role. The aircraft was apparently developed from a Northrop technology demonstrator known as THAP (Tactical High Altitude Penetrator), which first flew in 1981 and was similar in design, but slightly smaller. After this report, however, nothing more was heard of the TR-3 for two years. In 1993, Steve Douglass, an amateur "stealth watcher" who keeps an eye on the USAF's "black" programmes for a hobby, took a videotape of an aircraft landing at White Sands Missile Range. Enhancement of the image revealed a formerly unknown aircraft, almost certainly the TR-3. Apart from having a curved trailing edge, it resembled a scaled-down B-2 (or a Horten IX; see section E.1). It appears to be a single-seat, twin-engine, approximately triangular flying wing, which fits the description given in the earlier report. You can find more details, including an artist's impression based on the video images, in the February 1994 issue of _Wired_. Of the various "black" aircraft supposed to be flown by the USAF (see also section C.2), more solid evidence exists for the TR-3 than any other, and its existence seems virtually certain. Although it's difficult to judge the exact size of the aircraft from Douglass's image, the dimensions quoted in the original report are plausible. User Contributions:Top Document: rec.aviation.military Frequently Asked Questions (part 2 of 5) Previous Document: C.2. Does the USAF have a hypersonic spyplane called "Aurora"? Next Document: C.4. Why wasn't the B-1 or B-2 used in Desert Storm? Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Part4 - Part5 - Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: avfaq@meanmach.actrix.gen.nz
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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