Air International 1994-10
D.Baker - Wizard Wars & Air Power in the 21st Century (2)
The Northrop TR-3A emerged from the Covert Survivable In-Weather Reconnaissance/Strike (CSIRS) programme of the mid-1970s. It has a span of 19m, length of 13m, maximum weight of 28,120kg, and a range in excess of 5,630km.
Concerned at the lack of reconnaissance assets, the US House and Senate has released $100 million to return three Lockheed SR-71 Blackbirds to operational status.
As early as July 1984, the US Army acquired the prototype Boeing 767 for conversion to an experimental test-bed known as the Orbiting Optical Adjunct (OOA). Equipped with Hughes sensors for detecting and tracking fast-moving objects, the OOA was part of the SDI programme that has provided valuable data against which the vulnerability of trans-atmospheric vehicles can be measured.