Air Force Secretary James Roche and Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper were at the unveiling in St. Louis, where the company's fighter planes are built.

The $67 million project, which was fully funded by Boeing, ran in secrecy from 1992 to 1999. Boeing said it decided to reveal the Bird of Prey because the technology capabilities it developed have now become industry standards.

The subsonic single-seat aircraft was developed by the Boeing Phantom Works here and first flew in 1996. Boeing said the aircraft was one of the first to use single-piece composite structures, disposable tooling and 3-D virtual reality design.

The plane is 47 feet long with a "W"-shaped wing at its rear. It has a flattened body, with the intake for its single engine located atop the fuselage, behind the cockpit. It has a small vertical fin at its tail, extending downward.

The plane weighs only 7,400 pounds and has a top speed of just 260 knots and a maximum altitude of 20,000 feet - performance levels exceeded by many private planes.

Boeing said its experience with the Bird of Prey will be used in developing its X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle. Boeing is making the drone aircraft for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force.

"The success of the Bird of Prey is a testament to the shared commitment of Boeing and the Air Force to pioneering innovative methods to drive down costs and improve performance," said George Muellner, senior vice president of Air Force Systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

For More Information:

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