Hypersonic Thunder: A Novel of the Jet Age by Walter J. Boyne Page B
Authors: Walter J. Boyne
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the Air Force has Lockheed and Northrop working on it already in a couple of black programs.”
“Black programs” were so secret that only a few people in key positions in Congress were briefed on them, and their budgets were kept totally out of public view.
Tom went on. “We’ve got to get in on this, right on the ground floor. One thing I think we can do is work on night-vision equipment. You know we acquired that little outfit up in Redmond, Washington. What was the name of it?”
“I remember because it was named after its founder, Richard Pierce—he called it ‘Pierce the Night, Incorporated.’ You think they have potential?”
“They do if we finance them, and get them the military contracts. I think they are mostly concerned with police work, hunters, things like that. If we can get them to raise their sights, look at airborne applications, we’d be on to something. I’d like to take this on as a special project, make it my kind of contribution, à la Bob Rodriquez.”
“Go ahead. You can say what you want about Bob Rodriquez, but he’s a great role model for taking new businesses and turning them into profit makers. Go for it.”
Harry was delighted. This was exactly what Tom needed, a mission, something he could take on and claim for his own, somethingthat hadn’t been set up for him to do by Nancy or, worse, by Rodriquez.
“OK, I’m on it. And let’s get back to those black programs that we know Lockheed and Northrop are working. What can we find out about them?”
Harry was on the spot. Lockheed had called him in five years before, when the Air Force held its competition for a new aircraft that would be difficult for radar to see. The problem was that it was so secret that he could not even tell Tom without violating his oath. He had never even told his father—it was just too hush-hush. The situation was ludicrous, Tom was perfectly reliable, yet Harry was so conscious of the importance of what he was doing that he could not bring himself to give the secret away, not even to his brother.
“Well, you know Lockheed had a soft spot in its heart for Dad. Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich were always concerned about how you were doing in Vietnam. If Creech has Lockheed working on something, it has to be in the Skunk Works. Let me talk to Kelly and see if I can get something for us.”
Tom nodded, and Harry felt another jerk of conscience. Even his last statement had been a bit of a lie. For some reason, Kelly was not a true believer in the new project, but Ben Rich was, and it was Ben who had hired him. Telling Tom he’d talk to Kelly was just a ruse, one he felt badly about.
Harry was about to walk out the door when he suddenly changed his mind. Tom was trustworthy, and this might be the sort of thing that would help bring him round.
“Tom, I’ve been bullshitting you. We’ve already got a handle on the project at Lockheed, and up to now, I haven’t told you about it because, naturally, I’m sworn to secrecy; it’s a black program. But if something happened to me, you’d need to know, and since you brought it up, I’m going to tell you. But you have to swear to me you’ll never tell a soul that I mentioned this to you, not even after I get you cleared at Lockheed to discuss it. You’ve got to let on that everything you learn is absolutely new to you. Otherwise Kelly and Ben would come down on me like a ton of bricks and we’d be shoved out the door of the Skunk Works. Nobody, absolutely nobody, can know that I’m telling you this.”
Tom was torn between being pissed off at being treated like an outsider and being elated to learn they already had an in on somethinghe knew had to be important. He decided to roll gracefully with the news. “Of course. I’ll never say a word to anybody.”
Filled with guilty remorse, Harry came back to the desk and, in a low voice, said, “You know how the SR-71 is shaped. What you might not know is that its shape is not only for speed, it is
“Black programs” were so secret that only a few people in key positions in Congress were briefed on them, and their budgets were kept totally out of public view.
Tom went on. “We’ve got to get in on this, right on the ground floor. One thing I think we can do is work on night-vision equipment. You know we acquired that little outfit up in Redmond, Washington. What was the name of it?”
“I remember because it was named after its founder, Richard Pierce—he called it ‘Pierce the Night, Incorporated.’ You think they have potential?”
“They do if we finance them, and get them the military contracts. I think they are mostly concerned with police work, hunters, things like that. If we can get them to raise their sights, look at airborne applications, we’d be on to something. I’d like to take this on as a special project, make it my kind of contribution, à la Bob Rodriquez.”
“Go ahead. You can say what you want about Bob Rodriquez, but he’s a great role model for taking new businesses and turning them into profit makers. Go for it.”
Harry was delighted. This was exactly what Tom needed, a mission, something he could take on and claim for his own, somethingthat hadn’t been set up for him to do by Nancy or, worse, by Rodriquez.
“OK, I’m on it. And let’s get back to those black programs that we know Lockheed and Northrop are working. What can we find out about them?”
Harry was on the spot. Lockheed had called him in five years before, when the Air Force held its competition for a new aircraft that would be difficult for radar to see. The problem was that it was so secret that he could not even tell Tom without violating his oath. He had never even told his father—it was just too hush-hush. The situation was ludicrous, Tom was perfectly reliable, yet Harry was so conscious of the importance of what he was doing that he could not bring himself to give the secret away, not even to his brother.
“Well, you know Lockheed had a soft spot in its heart for Dad. Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich were always concerned about how you were doing in Vietnam. If Creech has Lockheed working on something, it has to be in the Skunk Works. Let me talk to Kelly and see if I can get something for us.”
Tom nodded, and Harry felt another jerk of conscience. Even his last statement had been a bit of a lie. For some reason, Kelly was not a true believer in the new project, but Ben Rich was, and it was Ben who had hired him. Telling Tom he’d talk to Kelly was just a ruse, one he felt badly about.
Harry was about to walk out the door when he suddenly changed his mind. Tom was trustworthy, and this might be the sort of thing that would help bring him round.
“Tom, I’ve been bullshitting you. We’ve already got a handle on the project at Lockheed, and up to now, I haven’t told you about it because, naturally, I’m sworn to secrecy; it’s a black program. But if something happened to me, you’d need to know, and since you brought it up, I’m going to tell you. But you have to swear to me you’ll never tell a soul that I mentioned this to you, not even after I get you cleared at Lockheed to discuss it. You’ve got to let on that everything you learn is absolutely new to you. Otherwise Kelly and Ben would come down on me like a ton of bricks and we’d be shoved out the door of the Skunk Works. Nobody, absolutely nobody, can know that I’m telling you this.”
Tom was torn between being pissed off at being treated like an outsider and being elated to learn they already had an in on somethinghe knew had to be important. He decided to roll gracefully with the news. “Of course. I’ll never say a word to anybody.”
Filled with guilty remorse, Harry came back to the desk and, in a low voice, said, “You know how the SR-71 is shaped. What you might not know is that its shape is not only for speed, it is
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