The Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft intended to demonstrate stealth technology. Fully paid for by company funds at a price of $67 million (as opposed to the government-sponsored norm), it was a very cost-effective program, 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.

The Bird of Prey was developed beginning in 1992 by then-McDonnell Douglas' Phantom Works division for special projects. Phantom Works is now a part of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The aircraft's name is a reference to the Bird of Prey spacecraft from the Star Trek television series.

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.

Interestingly, for a groundbreaking aircraft, the Bird of Prey uses a commercial off-the-shelf turbofan engine, and hydraulic controls rather than fly-by-wire. The lack of computerized controls on a military aircraft is an oddity in modern times, especially on an aircraft with such an unusual wing design.

The aircraft was made public on October 18, 2002, and was inducted into the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on July 16, 2003.

Specifications (Bird of Prey)

Bird of Prey in flight (photograph)

Bird of Prey in flight (artist's rendering)

General Characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: approximately 47 ft 0 in (14.30 m)
• Wingspan: approximately 23 ft 0 in (7.00 m)
• Height: ft in ( m)
• Wing area: ft² ( m²)
• Empty: lb ( kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 7,380 lb (3,355 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5C, 2,900 lb_f (12.9 kN) thrust

Performance

• Maximum speed: 768 mph (1236 km/h)
• Range: miles ( km)
• Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Thrust-to-weight:

External links

• Boeing press release (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2002/q4/nr_021018m.html)
• "Now you see it, now you won't: Boeing lifts the veil on stealthy Bird of Prey" (http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military/news/idr/idr021127_1_n.shtml), Jane's International Defence Review article mentioning Bird of Prey's daylight stealth capability
• GlobalSecurity.org page on the Bird of Prey (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/bop.htm)

Related content

Related development: Boeing X-45

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: