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.
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