This one and only Northrop Tacit Blue aircraft made its first flight in February 1982 and by the end of the program in 1985 flew 135 times. It had a digital fly-by-wire flight control system to help stabilize the plane. It had a single flush inlet on the top of the fuselage to provide air to its 2 turbojet engines. The aircraft was placed on display in May 1996. From the plaque mounted in the cockpit - Tacit Blue (Whale) Pilots, Mr. Richard Thomas, Col. (Select) Don Cornell, Lt. Col. Russ Easter, Lt. Col. Ken Dyson, Major Dan Vanderhorst Span: 14.7 meters, (48 feet 2 inches) Height: 3.2 meters, (10 feet 7 inches) Length: 17 meters, (55 feet 10 inches) Weight: 30,000 pounds Engines: 2x Garrett ATF3-6 high-bypass turbofan engines, 5,440 lbf (24 kN) each Armament: None Crew: 1x Cost: Approx. $165 million Operational Speed: 287 mph/250 knots Operating Altitude: 25-30,000 feet Thrust/weight ratio: 0.36
This one and only Northrop Tacit Blue aircraft made its first flight in February 1982 and by the end of the program in 1985 flew 135 times. It had a digital fly-by-wire flight control system to help stabilize the plane. It had a single flush inlet on the top of the fuselage to provide air to its 2 turbojet engines. The aircraft was placed on display in May 1996. From the plaque mounted in the cockpit - Tacit Blue (Whale) Pilots, Mr. Richard Thomas, Col. (Select) Don Cornell, Lt. Col. Russ Easter, Lt. Col. Ken Dyson, Major Dan Vanderhorst Span: 14.7 meters, (48 feet 2 inches) Height: 3.2 meters, (10 feet 7 inches) Length: 17 meters, (55 feet 10 inches) Weight: 30,000 pounds Engines: 2x Garrett ATF3-6 high-bypass turbofan engines, 5,440 lbf (24 kN) each Armament: None Crew: 1x Cost: Approx. $165 million Operational Speed: 287 mph/250 knots Operating Altitude: 25-30,000 feet Thrust/weight ratio: 0.36