From:      skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu
To:        skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu
Subject:   Skunk Works Digest V5 #137
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Skunk Works Digest          Sunday, 17 July 1994        Volume 05 : Number 137

In this issue:

	Re: Two new recon. vehicles announced in Newsweek

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From: megazone@world.std.com (MegaZone)
Date: Sat, 16 Jul 1994 16:04:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Two new recon. vehicles announced in Newsweek

Once upon a time larry@ichips.intel.com shaped the electrons to say...
>The cancelled project was known as Tier 3. The vehicle was a very large,
>expensive and stealthy Lockheed UAV design. It has been described as
>resembling the B-2 bomber in size, radar low observability and expense.
>Cost estimates per UAV, reported by those familiar with the project,
>were around $400 million. The project was abandoned as being too expensive

SHEESH!

The size, stealthiness, and cost of a B-2?  IN an unmanned aircraft??

Makes me wonder what else they've been funding out of the limelight.
That's sort of a BIG project.  What would be the major differences?
Higher altitude, longer range?  Anything you couldn't do by stuffing a
B-2 full of gas tanks and the remote piloting system?

I'm a real Lockheed groupie, but that sounds like it was just too much.

$400 million is quite a bit to send off on its own, especially if it
is a risky mission.  One of the big advantages of UAVs (traditionally)
is that they're 'expendable', at least moreso than a manned aircraft,
so you can risk them.

- --
 megazone@wpi.wpi.edu   megazone@world.std.com   megazone@hotblack.gweep.net
 "I have one prejudice, and that is against stupidity.  Use your mind, think!"
 Moderator: WPI anime FTP site, 130.215.24.1 /anime, the anime FanFic archive;
    rec.arts.anime.stories, questions to anime-dojinshi-request@wpi.wpi.edu
   GTW/HU d-- -p+ c++(++++) l u+ e+ m+(*)@ s++/+ !n h- f+ !g w+ t+@ r+@ y+(*)

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End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #137
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