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Originally Posted by Blacdout96
Just ta give ya a heads up. The F-117 was actually developed 20 years before we first saw it EVER, in Desert storm. A co-worker of mine was on the development team for the B-2 (He was more part of matinence while they tested it.) And you are right, I mean we still have B-52's in service and are about a decade older then the SR-71 ( which is my favorite plane of all time, thus one of the reasons why I went with a Black, and a little bit of red here and there theme on my car) So there is a replacement for the SR-71, but will they show it yet? I doubt it. Theres two places that hold secrets. One is not hidden, adn the other is Area-51. The other is Edwards Airforce Base, which is also home to Lockheed Martin, which has been the forefront of the most techinical planes over the past 50 years, including the U-2, the SR-71, the F-117, the B-1 and B-2, and the YF-23, but lost the contract to the F-22.Its really only in our wildest dreams as to what they are producing outside the public eye, and most likely is being used, and we dont even have a clue.
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The B-2 was out long before the development date that was released to the public. It came out about 15 years prior. The SR-71 was an awesome plane, but had a huge problem, it would sometimes explode on takeoff. Because of its high speed and high altitude capabilities, all the connection joints were flexible. On a number of occasions the fuel tanks spontaneously combusted destroying the aircraft on takeoff. A replacement has been in place for a while now, but I'm sure nobody will really see it for another decade or so. The SR-71 started out as a smaller light attack plane called the A-12. You can see one on the deck of the USS Intrepid in NYC. There's also one at NASA's Huntsville Space Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
As for Lockheed Martin, their testing and design facility for highly sensitive projects (Skunk Works) is based out of Groom Lake (Area 51). The Pasadena facility in California is where Boeing develops their sensitive projects (and is where the AL-1A started). Edwards is a testing site for NASA and various aircraft manufacturers because of its massive runway, stable climate, open surroundings, and facility capabilities. The F/A-22 is a Lockheed plane, and the YF-23 was Northrop Grumman.