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Plowshares into swords: a classic case of chicken or egg.

Article Excerpt
When you think about it, Wilbur and Orville's Wright Flyer would have to be considered the first 'commercial' aircraft converted for use by the military armed forces. From that first small step on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 to the first Wright 'B' Flyer delivered to the U.S. Army in 1908, a new method of military procurement for aircraft was borne--the acquisition of an "off the shelf" commercial design adapted for military use. In this case, a pair of wheels was added to the craft's landing skids allowing operations from grass fields, and a new world distance record was soon set when the machine was flown from Laredo to Eagle Pass, Texas covering 106 miles at a blistering speed (for its day) of 43 mph.

Compare that achievement to the Air Force's latest tanker, the McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender, in which case a high-speed digitally-controlled refueling boom and operator's station were added to a cargo version of the DC-10 airliner, which could then theoretically fly on its own internal fuel from an Air Base near New York non-stop to Sydney Australia covering 10,000 miles at nearly 600 mph. Yes we've come a long way in 100 years of aviation, but lets' take a closer look at this time-honored process of using commercial aircraft for military purposes,...