Cable Airshow 2010
Lockheed YO-3 Quiet Star

The Missile and Space Division of Lockheed produced the YO-3 Quiet Star for the US military's request for a quiet aircraft equipped with sensors to detect enemy movement through the dense jungles of Vietnam. With a unique muffler system and a slow-turning propeller, most enemy soldiers had no idea that they were being monitored from just above their heads. The Quiet Stars flew at night and after sensing enemy concentrations, could call in air strikes or attack teams. The Army ordered 11 aircraft in 1968, sending 9 of them to Vietnam. No YO-3 aircraft were lost to enemy fire. NASA acquired this YO-3 in the 1970s and use it as a flying microphone.