The first location Black decided to check was the hangar. She couldn't believe she [i]still[/i] didn't see the R-547 in any way than on paper given she was the one pushing it's development. It didn't take long to find though. Compared to the god awful, crude, angular F-302s, the refined shape of the recon plane stood out. That, and it was about twice as long.

She reached out and touched the tip. The cockpit stuck forward, the large canopy giving the pilot a great field of view. behind the neck were the many sensors and power plant, surrounded on both sides by combine engine and missile pods. The body had two small wings she guessed worked as radiators, seeing as there was no reason for this craft to enter atmosphere. The whole hull seemed close to a lifting body design, but that was more likely to get rid of angles on the surface.

The bay was a swarm of activity - they beamed the supplies in and loaded the fighters, but now the 302s had to actually be armed and fueled. It reminded Catherine that she still had to pick a squadron leader, but other than their files and brief interviews, she had nothing to go on. First they'd have to show her how they fly, and until then she could direct them from the ship.