Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Normal
Couple of points: The A-12 wasn't really the "stealthiest aircraft ever". The concept was to use a combination of stealth, situational awareness (a breakthrough ESM system) and self-defense (AMRAAMs and HARMs) to get through the defenses.The lack of a clear lead was definitely an issue. I don't recall a successful two-company program where the roles were as ill defined as they were in this case. Also, my impression is that neither GD nor McDD had a mature in-house LO capability when they started; a whole bunch of LO manufacturing work was to be farmed out to Rockwell in Tulsa (went back to the Hound Dog).How much would access have helped? It's actually a serious question. The coating and edge technologies used on the F-117 were far too heavy and maintenance-intensive to work for ATA. Ditto, in almost every case, the B-2. And the A-12 was running years ahead of the ATF program, which was never even due to start FSD until 1991, by which time FSD A-12s should have been flying.
Couple of points:
The A-12 wasn't really the "stealthiest aircraft ever". The concept was to use a combination of stealth, situational awareness (a breakthrough ESM system) and self-defense (AMRAAMs and HARMs) to get through the defenses.
The lack of a clear lead was definitely an issue. I don't recall a successful two-company program where the roles were as ill defined as they were in this case. Also, my impression is that neither GD nor McDD had a mature in-house LO capability when they started; a whole bunch of LO manufacturing work was to be farmed out to Rockwell in Tulsa (went back to the Hound Dog).
How much would access have helped? It's actually a serious question. The coating and edge technologies used on the F-117 were far too heavy and maintenance-intensive to work for ATA. Ditto, in almost every case, the B-2. And the A-12 was running years ahead of the ATF program, which was never even due to start FSD until 1991, by which time FSD A-12s should have been flying.
