Northrop Tacit Blue

__NOTOC__The Northrop Tacit Blue was a technology demonstrator aircraft created to demonstrate that a stealth low observable surveillance aircraft with a low probability of intercept radar and other sensors could operate close to the forward line of battle with a high degree of survivability.

Development

The U.S. Air Force unveiled the Tacit Blue Technology Demonstration Program on 30 April 1996, at The Pentagon. Tacit Blue was created to demonstrate that a low observable surveillance aircraft with a low probability of intercept radar and other sensors could operate close to the forward line of battle with a high degree of survivability. Such an aircraft could continuously monitor the ground situation behind the battlefield and provide targeting information in real-time to a ground command center. Tacit Blue validated a number of innovative stealth technology advances.

Tacit Blue, nicknamed "the whale," featured a straight tapered wing with a Vee tail mounted on an oversized fuselage with a curved shape. A single flush inlet on the top of the fuselage provided air to two high-bypass turbofan engines. Tacit Blue employed a quadruply redundant, digital, fly-by-wire flight control system to help stabilize the aircraft about its longitudinal and directional axes.

The sensor technology developed for Tacit Blue is now being used by the E-8 Joint STARS aircraft

Operational history

The aircraft made its first flight in February 1982, and subsequently logged 135 flights over a three year period. The aircraft often flew three to four flights weekly and several times flew more than once a day. After reaching about 250 flight hours, the aircraft was placed in storage in 1985. Tacit Blue was on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. In February 2006 Tacit Blue was moved to one of the Museum's restoration hangers where it now awaits restoration next to Memphis Belle, the first B-17 to complete 25 missions in WWII.

Most of text taken from U.S. Department of Defense DefenseLink publication.

Aircraft serial number

Tacit Blue - serial unknown, 135 flights

Only one complete airframe was ever flown, although a second airframe shell was constructed to serve as a backup.

Specifications (Tacit Blue)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 55 ft 10 in (17 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 2 in (14.7 m)
Height: 10 ft 7 in (3.2 m)
Wing area: ft² ( m²)
Empty: lb ( kg)
Loaded: 30,000 lb (13,606 kg)
Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
Powerplant: 2 X Garrett ATF3-6 high-bypass turbofan engines. 5,440 lbf (24 kN) thrust each.

Performance

Maximum speed: 287 mph (462 km/h)
Range: miles ( km)
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,144 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Thrust-to-weight: 0.36