New AIAA book highlights stealth technology, development of Lockheed blackbird

Reston, Va. - The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announces the publication of a new book, "From RAINBOW to GUSTO: Stealth and the Design of the Lockheed Blackbird." Written by Paul A. Suhler, the new work is a part of AIAA's Library of Flight series.

Based on recently declassified CIA documents, Lockheed and Convair photographs, reports, and technical drawings, as well as oral histories, memoirs, and interviews of the scientists and engineers involved, the book examines the development of stealth technology for America's reconnaissance aircraft from the U-2 program to the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird. It recounts the evolution of stealth technology development from the earliest days of Project RAINBOW, the attempt to make the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft invisible to Soviet radar, to the success of 1958's Project GUSTO, in which Lockheed and Convair competed to develop the breakthroughs in stealth technology that made possible the development of the A-12 Blackbird.

Paul A. Suhler is a computer engineer in the data storage industry. A specialist in communication protocols and computer security, he has participated extensively in the development of computer standards, and received the 2009 Technical Excellence Award from the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards. A former U.S. Army officer, Suhler has appeared on the PBS documentary "Warplane." He holds a Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.S. in computer engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

Source: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics