Top secret aircraft arrives at Grissom Air Museum

Rare cargo Guyer the Mover donated the transportation of this unique load to Grissom Air Museum, where it is on display. The size of the D-21 required it to be sharply angled on the back of the trailer. Photo provided

In early November a sleek, black aircraft rolled into Miami County, compliments of Guyer the Mover.

An extremely rare and exotic Lockheed D-21 drone is the newest addition to the continually expanding collection of aircraft at the Grissom Air Museum. The aircraft is on loan from The National Museum of The United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where John Guyer II and a group of museum volunteers picked it up. On short notice, Merritt's Truck and Auto Repair of Kokomo donated their resources to unload the aircraft from the flatbed.

This is the first "top secret" aircraft the museum has in its collection.

"When we receive an aircraft, one of the first things we do is research its history," said museum director Andy Cougill of Delphi. "The D-21 is difficult because if its 'cloak and dagger' background. Although a lot of information has been released, there aren't many people who worked with them or saw them in use."

Patterned after the world's fastest airplane, the SR-71 Blackbird, the D-21 is sleek and aerodynamic. Lockheed engineers used the same technology on both aircraft, giving the drone a top speed over Mach 3 and a ceiling of nearly 100,000 feet. As a matter of fact the D-21 was initially designed to launch from the back of specially configured SR-71s. The D-21 carried highly sensitive reconnaissance equipment to spy on Communist China. After completing its mission, the D-21 would jettison its film to be recovered by another airplane, then self-destruct in the ocean.

Only 38 of the one-time use drones were produced. Their existence remained secret until the mid-1970s and their history unknown into the 1980s. Of the 38 produced, fewer than 10 are on display around the world.

Cougill pointed out that Grissom Air Museum is among an elite handful of museums fortunate enough to display this exotic aircraft. Because of the unique composites used in its construction, the D-21 must be housed indoors and is currently housed in the museum's conservation hangar.

"We have never taken guests to our storage facility, but we are very excited to share this aircraft with the public," said Cougill.

Museum visitors can tour the aircraft on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. Regular museum admission applies, and visitors must walk a short distance to the secured hangar.

Ultimately the museum will announce a building campaign in 2008 that will allow the D-21 and many other artifacts to be displayed at the museum itself.

"The future here at the museum is very bright, and we are proud to have the National Museum of The United States Air Force offering us incredible aircraft to display."

Grissom Air Museum is located 15 miles north of Kokomo on US 31. The museum is currently open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The museum will close for the season on Dec. 22 and will reopen in mid-February.

Call (765) 689-8011 or visit GrissomAirMuseum.com for more information.

This story and photo were provided by Grissom Air Museum.