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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00122_Field_122.txt
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1994-08-29
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Senior Sky
By the start of the 1980s, U.S. military officials realized that
technology now permitted the creation of a "super fighter" that
could replace the aging stalwarts of airborne defense: the
Grumman F-14, McDonnell Douglas F-15, and the General Dynamics
F-16. Even though each of these programs had been extended, the
military realized it needed a fighter for the new century. To
this end, the government created the Advanced Tactical Fighter
(ATF) Program and gave it the code name "Senior Sky."
Air Force Colonel Albert Piccirillo, an outstanding F-4 fighter
pilot in Vietnam, was named director of the ATF Program. His
office developed a specification for this new fighter that seemed
impossible to attain. The requirement called for an aircraft
with supersonic cruise capability of Mach 1.4 to Mach 1.5 (never
before had a fighter flown these speeds without using
afterburners), a radius-of-action of 800 miles, a gross takeoff
weight of 50,000 pounds, and a funding cap of $40 million (1985
dollars) per aircraft.
Despite these daunting requirements, almost all major companies
responded, including Rockwell, Northrop, McDonnell Douglas,
Grumman, General Dynamics, Lockheed and Boeing. These
contractors clearly perceived that in future years, this program
might be the only game in town. As business and political
pressures grew, some dropped out. Grumman retired from the
program because it was busy with the F-14 and AFT programs, and
Rockwell International pulled out because it was mired in
troubles with the B-1B.
Soon it became clear that this program was too costly and risky
for a single manufacturer to attempt. Instead, in 1986, two
consortiums were formedÊto create this advanced fighter: one
group included Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics, and the
other, Northrop and McDonnell Douglas. The competition had begun.