“We’d like it under five hundred pounds, if you’ve got it in a single pod. Maybe seven fifty if you put it in two wing pods. We can work that out later.”

McPherson lets out a breath. That’s a constraint for you. “And how much power can the plane give the system?”

“Maybe ten KVA. Ten point five, tops.”

Another constraint. McPherson thinks about it, putting all the factors together in his mind. The components of such a system exist; it’s a matter of putting them together, making them work on this new robot jet.

“Sounds interesting,” he says at last. “I think we could make a proposal, given that my boss likes the idea, of course.”

Feldkirk is shaking his head; a small smile makes him look boyish. “We aren’t going to put out an RFP on this one.”

“Ah!”

The meeting suddenly makes sense.

Legally, the Pentagon is obliged to offer all their programs for open bidding by contractors. This means publishing a Request For Proposal in Commerce Business Daily, which outlines the specifications for what they want. The problem with the system, of course, is that Soviet intelligence can buy Commerce Business Daily and get an excellent idea of the capabilities of the American military. In this case, they would know to close the window in their radar systems. “And,” Feldkirk says, “if they know they have to speed up their antiaircraft response, and can do it, then we’re no longer in the air. So we’ve decided to go superblack with this one, and deal with the company we judge would do the job best.”

Illegal, of course. Technically. But the Pentagon is also charged with defending the country. Even Congress recognizes that some programs have to be kept secret. In fact, black programs are an acknowledged part of the system, and a few members of the Armed Services Committees hear about them regularly. A superblack program, however … that’s between the Pentagon and the chosen contractor only.

So, LSR has a contract. Other defense contractors won’t complain about it even if they do hear rumors, because they’ve all got secret programs of their own.