Army-Lockheed YO-3A
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The Army-Lockheed YO-3A "Quiet Star" is an aircraft that was used for battlefield observation.
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[edit] Background
During the war in Vietnam, the night belonged to the Vietcong. Lockheed was approached to develop a weapon to engage this problem. Lockheed's Greenhouse 1st developed a prototype "Quiet Aircraft" called the QT-2PrizeCrew. The airframe was a modified Schweizer SGS2-32 glider. The QT had a quieted engine and a propeller operating at subsonic tip speed for stealthy operation.
[edit] Military Service
The plane flew at night, in Vietnam, at low altitudes. Observations were made visually and with hand held night vision scopes. The plane proved so successful that a production model was designed. Designated the Army-Lockheed YO-3A, 11 aircraft were built. 9 were sent to Vietnam 1970-71. The YO-3A had a specially designed propeller operated by belts, an exhaust system that ran the length of the aircraft and other sound quieting technologies. The mission equipment on the YO-3A was a Night Vision Aerial Periscope with infrared illuminator. Some YO-3As were equipped with a laser target designator. The YO-3A operated silently at 1,000 feet and depending on terrestrial background noise, could be operated much lower. Some pilots were known to have gone unobserved over the enemy at 200 feet.
[edit] Civil Usage
After Vietnam, two YO-3As were used by the Louisiana Department of Fish and Game. The plane was so effective at catching poachers that Louisiana sold the planes. The FBI acquired the aircraft and YO-3A 69-18006 and 007. The FBI operated these planes for several years in assisting the apprehension of kidnappers and extortionists.
NASA took possession of one YO-3A in the late 70's. The plane was used in rotorcraft research. It is still in operation today at Moffett Field, California.
YO-3A 69-18007 is currently at Cable Airport, Upland CA where it is undergoing restoration to flight status.
[edit] Operators
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Designation sequence
- Post-1962 US DoD: O-1 Bird Dog - O-2 Skymaster - YO-3 - ZO-4 Wren - EO-5 - (End)
