[DeadlyDaring]

Subject: New Plane July 17, 2004

Forwarded without comment, except that a woman, Lt. Kara Wade, is apparently the test pilot for the project.

We received the following pictures but have no information about their authenticity.

Lt. Kara Wade (Character) from Stealth (2005) and is played by actress Jessica Biel

Director:Rob Cohen

Writer (WGA):W.D. Richter

The plane in these pictures is air vehicle number 1, a prototype on board the USS Washington for catapult fit checks. Not yet made public, the F/A-37 is a Mach 3.5, super cruise stealth fighter/bomber/interceptor with a 4000nm range. Top speed is classified, some where in the Mach 4 plus range. Awesome! Also, there is no phase interval for this plane. It has a 10,000 hour life airframe and engines that require replacement only at failure or signs of trouble. The squadrons are to be out of Whidbey Island, 12 planes to a command.

Cockpit Zoom
This cockpit features Jessica Biel as Lt. Kara Wade, and lots of extra room for multi-angle "in-flight" camera angles.


Too Good to Be True
Rumors began circulating in 2004 that a "new, secret aircraft" was being tested on board the USS Washington. With lightning speed, the rumor-mill went into overdrive, and speculation went wild that this new aircraft was some type of fighter/bomber/interceptor capable of speeds in excees of Mach 4.

The aircraft shown in photos above is sleak and futuristic -- and if you think that it looks like something off a sci-fi movie production set, then you're right. This aircraft, dubbed the FA-37 Talon Stealth Fighter, is the star-prop in the sci-fi/action thriller "Stealth" due out next year.

Rumor: "The plane in these pictures is air vehicle number 1, a prototype on board the USS Washington for catapult fit checks. Not yet made public, the F/A-37 is a Mach 3.5, super cruise stealth fighter/bomber/interceptor with a 4000nm range. Top speed is classified, some where in the Mach 4 plus range. Awesome! Also, there is no phase interval for this plane. It has a 10,000 hour life airframe and engines that require replacement only at failure or signs of trouble. The squadrons are to be out of Whidbey Island, 12 planes to a command."


The Stealth Movie
The only lead we're given from the photos is the pilot's name, "Lt. Kara Wade", shown emblazoned below the cockpit glass during what was claimed to be a "dry run" fitting to ensure that the aircraft could be launched from a carrier deck. However, Lt. Kara Wade isn't real either -- she's the character played by Jessica Biel in the upcoming movie.

The movie is a Columbia Pictures/BackBreaker Films Production entitled "Stealth", due out in May 2005, and starring Jessica Biel, Josh Lucas, and Jamie Foxx (produced by Rob Cohen).

The Aircraft Carrier
In this case, the aircraft carrier is the only real aspect of the photos above -- but its the wrong one! It's not the "USS Washington", as claimed in the rumor, but actually the USS Abraham Lincoln. Every other aspect of these photos are just set-photography, mockups, and special-effects taken during filming.

The Remaining Question
The military often leaks information to the press to prepare the public for what's next -- rumors of the Stealth-fighter were rampant during the classified years before it became