![]() While it might be imagined that perhaps this episode might be explained by aĭecision by the Air Force to cancel the TR-3A, and that Lockheed was hoping to The F- 117A, if the company were already involved in the production of a Public controversy involving the Air Force, and Sam Nunn, chair of the SenateĪrmed Services Committee, regarding production of a reconnaissance version of It is very difficult to understand how Lockheed could engage in a very Unavoidably, this episode raises questions about the plausibility of the The F- 117 are virtually identical to those that have been suggested for the The operational characteristics of the proposed reconnaissance version of It was fiercely opposed by the Air Force, which ultimately prevailed in This palletized installation would permit theĪircraft to be converted back to the attack configuration in about four hours.Īlthough the proposal was endorsed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, System in one weapons bay, and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in theĪircraft's other weapons bay. The aircraft would be modified to carry the ATARS camera Purchase equipment that would enable the F-117A to perform reconnaissance Platforms for that mission, but we are not doing that right now."ĭuring 1991 Lockheed made a major effort to convince the Congress to supportĪ billion dollar program to build an additional 24 F-117A aircraft, and to "There might be some thoughts about using low-observable TR-3A Īnother Air Force source suggested that: Take up some of the slack created by the termination of the SR-71. That a new stealthy high-altitude, low-speed aircraft, possibly unpiloted, might Michael Dugan, then serving as commander of US Air Forces in Europe, suggested Would tend to support the contrary proposition, that there is no such program.ĭuring the debate in 1989 over the cancellation of the SR-71, General Supporting the existence of such an aircraft. The Public RecordĪpart from press reports, there is essentially no open-source information One could thus infer that TR-3A data were not distributed widely for Saudi Arabian air force Northrop RF-5s were requested to augment USAF RF-4C ![]() Protected by limiting it to F-117A support. More recently, they are believed to have supported F-117A operations inĭuring Operation Desert Storm, the TR-3A's secret identity could have been Several TR-3As areīelieved to have been deployed temporarily to Alaska, Britain, Panama and Initial TR-3As are collected withį-117As, although housed separately in larger hangars. "About 25-30 of the special reconnaissance aircraft -ĭesignated the TR-3A 'Black Manta' - could be placed in service eventually,īased at Holloman AFB, NM, and Tonapah, Nev. The TR-3A, if it exists, may have a slightly larger planform, possibly up toĤ2 feet long with a 60-65 foot wingspan. To determine whether any vertical control surfaces jut from the aircraft's back. Because of their vantage point, ground observations were unable Quietly than the muffled General Electric F-404 powerplants on the Stealthįighter, which may explain how an aircraft of this type could elude detectionįor some time. The aircraft has been reportedly observed flying with KC-135 aerial tankers,į- 117 stealth fighters and T-38 aircraft. TR-3A reportedly has a range of more than 5,000 kilometers and the ability to Photo information directly to F-117As for immediate tactical applications. That the aircraft was designed to collect and transmit near-real-time digital ![]() Many sources suggested the existence of a subsonic stealthy recconnaissanceĪircraft, which is reportedly designated the TR-3A, although its actualĭesignation and mission remain unclear. This program was subsequently de-scoped into the "Tier 3 minus" which produced the "DarkStar" unmanned drone. The "TR-3" designator was a badly-garbled version of the "Tier 3" designation for the secret "QUARTZ" program that was ultimately canceled.
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