As far back as 1989 the buzz inside aviation circles was that The Pentagon was developing a variable swing-wing aircraft to replace the aging fleet of F-111s which were retired by the USAF in 1998. The F-111 was a medium sized bomber also capable of defending itself as a fighter and then speeding away at over 1600 MPH. In the mid-90s reports began to surface concerning a new swing-wing aircraft sighted near Cannon Air Force Base, NM and at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. In September of 1994, that aircraft was observed circling high over Amarillo, TX for several minutes at midday. The plane was not a standard variable swing-wing aircraft as first reported, rather employing a unique forward sweeping-wing mechanism that enables the jet to become an advanced attack aircraft capable of precision weapons delivery, super maneuverability (for air combat) and MACH 3 "dash" capability. It is a bomber, fighter and high-speed aircraft all-in-one. Like the FB-111A, it too has been nicknamed the "Switchblade".
For a time it was concluded that this top-secret project by Northrop was officially named Bird of Prey on account of the squadron patch worn by pilots involved in the covert BoP project, though it is now known that the Bird of Prey was in fact another Black project stealth aircraft altogether, by Boeing. It is possible that this ATF/B -type "Switchblade" craft is a stealth concept plane from back in the Multi-Role Fighter [MRF] competition days, given its aptitude. Multi-mission aircraft of the past have invariably had to make design sacrifices in one area or another, never really coming close to becoming true flying Swiss Army knives. The Northrop design seems to meets all the design criteria for an advanced multi-regime tactical bomber/fighter aircraft. Northrop Grumman have considerable expertise in designing advanced aircraft. Northrop was the chief contractor on the stealth B-2 Spirit, the YF-23 Black Widow II and the Tacit Blue. Grumman has considerable experience in forward swept wing aircraft design as well as having built & designed the Navy's premier variable-swept winged aircraft, the F-14 Tomcat.
The wings are attached to the fuselage (body) at a pivot point toward the rear of the aircraft. With the wings fully swept aft the aircraft can slow to drop precision weapons or land on short unimproved runways. Swept forward twenty degrees and the aircraft takes advantage of the maneuverability that forward-swept wings offer becoming a highly agile air combat platform. Sweep the wings fully forward and they become flush with the aircraft with the trailing edge becoming the leading edge, forming a highly swept 75 degree stealthy delta ideal for high-speed Mach 3 exits. Or as it is understated in the U.S. Patent 5,984231 abstract, "the aforementioned apparatus may be used in a method to configure the aircraft for the desire flight regime" thus becoming the aircraft for every mission.
