The Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology, developed by McDonnell Douglas. Funded by the company at a price of $67 million, it was a very cost-effective program (compared to many other programs of similar scale), developing technology and materials which would later be used on Boeing's X-45 UCAV. As an internal project, this aircraft was not given an X-plane designation. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1996: Events February the T-6 Texan II is selected as the new primary trainer for the United States armed forces. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1999: // February 16 - Gulfstream II carrying film director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Men in Black II, and Wild, Wild West, slid off runway at Van Nuys, California; Sonnenfeld was uninjured. ... In the United States a black project is a top-secret military/defense project, unacknowledged by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. ... F-117 stealth attack plane Stealth technology is a sub-discipline of electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and other detection methods. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The Boeing X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is a concept demonstrator for a next generation of completely autonomous fighter aircraft, developed by Boeings Phantom Works (similar to Lockheed Martins Skunk Works division; acquired through McDonnell Douglas). ... The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is the name of a new class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that have been designed to carry out air strikes. ... Bell X-1; for more photographs of X-planes see the image gallery. ...

There are no public plans to make this a production aircraft. It is characterized as a technology demonstrator.

Development

Development of the Bird of Prey began in 1992 by McDonnell Douglas's Phantom Works division for special projects. The aircraft's name is a reference to the Klingon Bird of Prey warship from the Star Trek television series.^[1] Phantom Works later became part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems after the Boeing–McDonnell Douglas merger in 1997. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1992: Events The European Commission approves three new regulations to liberalize air travel within the European Union. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The Phantom Works division is the main research and development arm of The Boeing Company. ... This article is about the fictional race. ... Bird-of-Prey is a common name for various makes of Romulan and Klingon warship in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (Boeing IDS), based in St. ...

The first flight was in 1996, and 39 more were performed through the program's conclusion in 1999. The Bird of Prey is rumored to have been used to test active camouflage, which would involve coatings or panels capable of changing color or luminosity. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... Illustrating the concept, i. ...

While these are unconfirmable press rumors, the Bird of Prey was otherwise key in the development of a new kind of low-visibility camouflage. Areas that are usually lit most brightly (such as the horizontal flat surfaces over the wings and the top of the fuselage) were painted more darkly, and areas that are usually not quite as bright (such as the sides of the fuselage and other more vertical surfaces) were painted a lighter shade of gray. This reduced the overall contrast of the aircraft, making the whole shape appear to be one relatively even shade of gray. This made the Bird of Prey's features difficult to discern, and made it harder to see against the sky. These low-visibility ideas are currently in use in the F-22 Raptor. “F-22” redirects here. ...

The aircraft was made public on October 18, 2002, and was put on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio on July 16, 2003. is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Riverside, Ohio, just east of Dayton. ... Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Riverside, Fairborn, Beavercreek, and Dayton, Ohio. ... : Gem City : Birthplace of Aviation United States Ohio Montgomery 56. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Greater Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Design

Because it was a demonstration aircraft, the Bird of Prey used a commercial off-the-shelf turbofan engine and manual hydraulic controls rather than fly-by-wire. This shortened the development time and reduced the cost significantly (a production aircraft would have computerized controls). Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) is a term for software or hardware products that are ready-made and available for sale to the general public. ... Schematic diagram of high-bypass turbofan engine CFM56-3 turbofan, lower half, side view. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ... A flight control system consists of the flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkage, and necessary operating mechanisms to control aircraft in flight. ... The tower of a personal computer. ...

The shape is aerodynamically stable enough to be flown without computer correction, a characteristic not found in other modern fighters or stealth planes, such as the F-16 or the F-117. Its aerodynamic stability is due to the same mechanisms found in canard aircraft such as the VariEze, the lift normally generated by the canards being provided by the chines (which therefore keeps the nose from sinking). This configuration, which can be stable without a horizontal tailplane and a conventional vertical rudder, is now a standard in modern stealth UAVs such as the X-45 and X-47, tailless aircraft which use drag rudders (asymmetrically-used wingtip airbrakes) for rudder control. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft developed by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force. ... This article is about the stealth fighter. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Rutan VariEze The Rutan Model 31 VariEze is a composite, canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. ... Chine may refer to: Chine, the word given for steep-sided river valley where the river flows through coastal cliffs to the sea. ... The £124 million Taranis UAV built by BAE Systems An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft with no onboard pilot. ... The Boeing X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is a concept demonstrator for a next generation of completely autonomous fighter aircraft, developed by Boeings Phantom Works (similar to Lockheed Martins Skunk Works division; acquired through McDonnell Douglas). ... The Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus is a demonstration Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. ...

Specifications

Bird of Prey project patch. Note that the shape of the sword's hilt closely resembles the airframe of the Bird of Prey aircraft.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: approximately 47 ft 0 in (14.30 m)
• Wingspan: approximately 23 ft 0 in (7.00 m)
• Height: ()
• Max takeoff weight: 7,380 lb (3,350 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5C , 2,900 lbf (12.9 kN)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 260 knots (482 km/h)
• Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)

This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) is a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer. ... The JT15D is a small turbofan engine built by Pratt & Whitney Canada. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ...

References

1. ^ USAF Museum literature

The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official national museum of the United States Air Force and is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Riverside, Ohio, just east of Dayton. ...

External links

• "Boeing Unveils Bird of Prey Stealth Technology Demonstrator," Boeing press release.
• "Now you see it, now you won't: Boeing lifts the veil on stealthy Bird of Prey", Jane's International Defence Review article mentioning Bird of Prey's daylight stealth capability
• GlobalSecurity.org

Janes International Defence Review (IDR) is a monthly magazine reporting on military news and technology. ...

Related content

Related development

• Boeing X-45

Comparable aircraft

• HAVE BLUE
• F-117 Nighthawk

The Boeing X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is a concept demonstrator for a next generation of completely autonomous fighter aircraft, developed by Boeings Phantom Works (similar to Lockheed Martins Skunk Works division; acquired through McDonnell Douglas). ... Have blue on ground Have Blue was the code-name for Lockheeds prototype Stealth Fighter program which preceded the F-117 Nighthawk production stealth aircraft project. ... This article is about the stealth fighter. ...

See also