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Old 06-14-2020, 01:01 PM
  #11  
UAL T38 Phlyer
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A friend of mine was part of the initial design project. The airplane was much different, and was designed to have an internal cannon.

Textron came in and bought them out. Two of the immediate changes were “no gun!!”, Despite protestations from those who knew better, and I believe, a second seat added at that time.

It doesn’t seem like a bad plane, but the wing/intake juncture almost certainly makes the wing root a poor lifting surface, and I would personally guess, a source of a lot of turbulence and drag.

His opinion: they took a good idea and messed it up. He said drones could do the same job, cheaper, and with less risk.
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