| YO-3 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Reconnaissance — Night |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation |
| First flight | 1969 |
| Introduction | 1969 |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| Number built | 11 |
| Developed from | Schweizer SGS 2-32 |
The Lockheed YO-3 "Quiet Star" was an American single-engined, propeller-driven monoplane that was developed for battlefield observation during the Vietnam War. It was designed to be as quiet as possible, and was intended to observe troop movements in near-silence during hours of darkness.
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The YO-3A was designed to a U.S. Army specification of 1968, which called for an observation aircraft that would be acoustically undetectable from the ground when flying at an altitude of 1,200 feet at night. Lockheed was approached to produce such a design. In 1966 the company built a prototype QT1 "Quiet Thrust", also known as X-26B, using a modified Schweizer SGS 2-32 glider. This was abandoned for two prototypes of a two-seat version called the QT-2 "Prize Crew". The QT had a silenced engine and a propeller operating at subsonic tip speed for quiet operation.
Following operation trials with the QT-2 in Vietnam, 1968, a production version, designated the YO-3A was ordered by the Army. Based on the QT2's SGS 2-32 platform, the YO-3A was highly modified. It had a low-mounted wing, retractable main-wheel landing gear and a modified fuselage with tandem seating for a pilot in back and an observer in the front seat using a NVAP (Night Vision Aerial Periscope) and infrared illuminator. The YO-3A was powered by a 210 hp IO-360 engine driving a six-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller; the propeller was later changed to a wooden three-bladed constant-speed version.
Nine of the eleven YO-3As in production by LMSC operated in South Vietnam, at night, from 1970 to 1971 (14 months) and never took a round or were shot down. The YO-3A was very successful in spotting movement by the North Vietnamese, but its deployment late in the American involvement in Vietnam reduced its value in that war. By 1975 all American troops were out of Vietnam.
Following combat evaluation of the QT-2s in Vietnam by the Army, nine production YO-3As were sent to Long Thanh North, Vietnam, in 1970. Three were sent to Phu Bai and two to Binh Thuy. The aircraft were used at night, at low altitudes. Observations were initially made visually (80%), later followed on with a Night Vision Aerial Periscope developed by Xerox Electro-Optical of Pasadena, California. The YO-3A had a specially designed propeller operated by 12 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. One YO-3A was equipped with a laser target designator. The laser system was never used. The YO-3A operated silently at 1,000 feet, or lower, depending on terrestrial background noise. Some pilots were known to have gone unobserved over the enemy at 200 feet. Occasionally, daylight flights were made over the rivers. Crew chiefs would monitor the YO-3A flying over the maintenance section prior to deployment, listening for rattles, whistles or other noises. The propeller, even at 500 feet over the maintenance area, made only a light flutter, heard just as it approached. This was followed by a light rushing of wind over the wings. There was no audible sound once the plane had passed over. If any abnormal noises were heard, the plane returned to the runway, where duct tape and other measures were employed to quiet noticeable sounds.
After Vietnam, two YO-3As, 69-18006 and 69-18007, were used by the Louisiana Department of Fish and Game. The plane was effective at catching poachers. The FBI eventually acquired the aircraft, and operated the planes for several years, assisting the apprehension of kidnappers and extortionists.
NASA took possession of one YO-3A, 69-18010, in the late 1970s. The plane was used in rotorcraft research. Most recently, it was in operation at Moffett Field, California. This aircraft was to be returned to NASA's Dryden research facility at Edwards AFB, California in early 2009.
General characteristics
NOTES: Weight and Data listed as Classified - Data from Bombers in Service, Patrol and Transport Aircraft Since 1960
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