Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star - Seattle, WA
N 47° 31.060 W 122° 17.779
10T E 552978 N 5262933
One of many static aircraft displays located at the Museum of Flight at King County International Airport. Admission fees apply.
Waymark Code: WMVG9Q
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 04/15/2017
Views: 7
Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star. The Museum of Flight website contains a
page devoted to this aircraft and it reads:
Lockheed’s Missile and Space Division designed the YO-3A as a nearly silent observation aircraft. The United States Army used the plane to spot nighttime enemy activity and direct artillery fire during the war in Vietnam. A downward-facing periscope equipped with night vision and infrared (heat sensing) capabilities allowed the aircraft’s forward observer to spot activity on the jungle floor, even in nearly complete darkness.
The YO-3A and it's prototype, the QT-2 represented the first use of aerial stealth technology in combat. Unlike the stealth aircraft we know today, the QT-2 and YO-3A were not designed to hide from radar, but to hide from human detection. The plane’s muffler-equipped engine drove a special slow propeller that eliminated the buzzing sound typical of propeller aircraft. This let the YO-3A operate almost unheard by people on the ground. Lockheed project manager, Stanley Hall described the aircraft’s noise as “the gentle rushing sound of the ocean surf”.
The Museum’s aircraft, 69-18005, was the sixth of just 11 aircraft constructed. It served in Vietnam from 1970–1972 before it was sold to an aviation school. The Museum acquired the aircraft in 2010 from Mr. Bruce Elliot of La Connor, WA.
The YO-3A exhibit tells the story of this highly unique aircraft and looks at the sources of airplane noise and ongoing efforts to quiet them down
A nearby placard also highlights this YO-3A and reads:
The First "Stealth" Aircraft
In 1968, before the production of YO-3A's were built, the Army deployed the prototype for testing in Vietnam. The prototype called the QT-2--for Quiet Thrust 2-seater--represented the first use of aerial stealth technology in combat. Unlike the stealth aircraft we know today, the QT-2 and YO-3A were not designed to hide from radar, but to hide from human detections. The aircraft achieved this through its incredibly quiet engine, and by flying at night, using infrared and night vision technology instead of lights to spot the enemy.
The YO-3A was so stealthy that the enemy's first indication that they were being watched was usually when they heard the sound of the helicopter gunships an aircraft crew had called in to attack. By then it was usually too late to escape.