If an aerospace engineer was given their choice of time periods in which to work, it’s likely the 1960s would be a top pick. With swept-wing jets like the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 having made their first flights just a few years prior, the decade ahead would see the introduction of such groundbreaking aircraft as Concorde, the Boeing 747, and the XB-70 Valkyrie. Research and development budgets were robust, competition was fierce, and a young engineer looking for employment must have felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store.
While the majority of action in the U.S. centered around the production of civil airliners, military jets, and the space race, there were some less flashy but thoroughly intriguing programs taking place in some of the industry’s quieter, less-traveled corridors. One of which was a research program led by Northrop, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army. The objective? Explore how a wing’s lift could be artificially boosted to reduce drag and increase performance, particularly in large, long-range aircraft designs—some of which would be supersonic.
