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The
MBB Lampyridae, or
Firefly, was a low-observable medium
missileThough a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
fighter (MRMF) developed in 1980 by the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
aerospace company
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-BlohmMesserschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm was a German aerospace company formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s. Among its best-known products was the MBB Bo 105 light twin helicopter...
(MBB) .
Development
Developed independently of the Have Blue prototype and
LockheedThe Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
's F-117
stealth fighterStealth Fighter is an action film released in 1999. The film stars Ice-T, Costas Mandylor, Erika Eleniak, Sarah Dampf, William Sadler, Ernie Hudson, and Andrew Divoff.-Film synopsis:...
, the Lampyridae nonetheless utilized a similar approach. The design was revealed to the US in 1987 when a group of USAF officers were shown the piloted model, which was kept in a closed-off section of MBB's plant at
OttobrunnOttobrunn is a municipality southeast of Munich, Bavaria, Germany, founded in 1955. Ottobrunn consists of mainly semi-detached and detached houses, and lots of gardens...
in
BavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. The project was canceled soon after for unspecified reasons. Reportedly, later calculations suggest the Lampyridae could have achieved a lower frontal RCS than the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk aircraft.
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