The 20th century's Cold War competition between the west and communist countries triggered massive technological breakthroughs, with many military inventions – including the internet – later transitioning to the civilian sphere. The technological advancements of the time, however, were not enough to support such an ambitious project.
The CIA has lifted the veil of secrecy from one of its top-secret projects conceived at the height of Cold War tensions with the USSR and other communist countries – an autonomous spy drone that would remain undetectable to an adversary's air defences, but could gather high-quality intelligence from the ground.
The device, named Project Aquiline, was developed by the McDonnell Douglas in the 1960s. The aerospace manufacturer is notable for having designed and built the famous F-15 and F-18 fighter jets, but this was unlike any other product the company ever made before its merger with Boeing. Project Aquiline was intended to be a drone, resembling a bird in size and structure so that it would be mistaken for one by either automated or manned defences.
Onboard, Project Aquiline was intended to carry various forms of surveillance equipment, including cameras to make high-quality photos by gliding at low altitudes and radio equipment to intercept transmissions for decoding. The plan was to immediately transmit all data to a dedicated surveillance plane patrolling the border of the spied-upon the country, most…
