Boeing chose the St. Louis Phantom Works plant as its venue to announce the unveiling of "Bird of Prey," an experimental aircraft tested between 1992 and 1999.
The original announcement on October 18, 2002 did not reveal too much detail on the once-classified aircraft. It appears to be a manned aircraft, with a similar planform to the company's X-45 unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The main difference is the plane's gull wings, with downward-canted tips for yaw stability. A low-visibility air inlet is located just aft of the cockpit to provide air to the turbofan engine.
The $67 million stealth aircraft was limited to subsonic speeds, obviously due to its tailless configuration. The airplane broke new ground in composite construction and computer aided design & manufacturing. The airplane's gray upper surface and white belly indicate that it was designed for daytime stealth. "Yehudi" lights may be located on the underside of the plane to provide a measure of optical stealth.
The aircraft made 38 flights between 1996 and 1999. It was declassified because its technology is in common use today. Bird of Prey's lines can easily be seen in the Boeing X-45.
