It was a stealth masterpiece developed in the 1990s by Boeing Phantom Works in secret.
It is so-called ‘Bird of Prey’.
It was a pioneering testbed for stealth technologies.
It was launched in 1996 and conducted 38 flights focusing on minimizing radar visibility with its special tailless design. It contributed to stealth features used in modern warplanes like F-22 and F-35.
It was not capable at outmaneuvering threads and its performance was low with a maximum altitude of 20.000 feet and maximum speed of 300 mph. Its design was not emphasized for aerodynamics or to be used for battles.
Unique construction techniques were used for manufacture and large single piece composite materials.
[Source: www.nationalinterest.org]
