Boeing's Secret Stealth Jet Spotted in the Nevada Desert

In the Nevada desert, a secret airfield was home to a mysterious aircraft in 1996. The Bird of Prey, as it was called, resembled a prop from a science fiction film with its faceless and tailless design. Its single engine was hidden inside its spine, allowing it to slip through the sky undetected.

The creators of the Bird of Prey, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing Phantom Works, had been working on this project since 1992 in secrecy. The aircraft made 38 test flights before being revealed in 2002, with a top speed of about 300 mph and a ceiling of around 20,000 ft.

The Bird of Prey was not just an experiment in stealth technology but also a testing ground for new manufacturing techniques. Its designers used large single-piece composite structures, cheap disposable tooling, and virtual-reality models to design and rehearse assembly before cutting metal. These innovations have since become industry standard.