Title

Tier 3 DarkStar on ramp, Dryden Flight Research Center, California, USA, September 14, 1995. Creator: NASA.

Caption

Tier 3 DarkStar on ramp, Dryden Flight Research Center, California, USA, September 14, 1995. The Tier III- (minus) unpiloted aerial vehicle is inspected by NASA personnel. It was developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Boeing Defense and Space Group to satisfy a goal of the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) to supply responsive and sustained surveillance and reconnaissance data from anywhere within enemy territory, day or night, in all types of weather. Dubbed DarkStar, it had a wing span of 69 feet and was designed to fly above 45,000 feet at subsonic speeds on missions lasting more than eight hours. The DarkStar's unusual shape was dictated by the requirement to orbit its target conducting surveillance while still remaining stealthy. At the beginning of its second flight, it crashed on takeoff, and was destroyed.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Space

Reference

HRM21B20_341

Model release

No

Property release

No

License type

Rights managed

Available size

20,5Mb (1,0Mb) / 10,1in x 7,9in / 3030 x 2362 (300dpi)

Keywords

transport transportation people male man men engineering industry engineer engineers country flight remote control guy color stealth industrial aircraft location century surveillance aviation company concept NASA Boeing air Transport United States of America Nineties Colour reconnaissance 20th century Edwards Air Force Base American America USA 1990s decade photograph united states National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration drone Heritage Space air force base Dryden Flight Research Center Lockheed Martin