Managing Secret Programs

Cook writes for Jane's Defense Weekly, not exactly a UFO rag. And he's hot on the story of the century -- antigravity. It seems to me that it is moving from fringe science to mainstream thought. I guess the biggest question is "why aren't the big aerospace companies commercializing this, if it is real?"
There are a couple of answers to that question. Remember that if practicable anti-gravity can be created, it will effectively be the end of the aerospace world as we know it. That's not saying there is any kind of conspiracy, just that AG is the ultimate in disruptive inventions -- don't expect the big aerospace firms to come up with it.
First, it seems obvious that rotating high-energy plasma creating a vortex is the key. Rumors are that the TR-3B, pictured above, has its own nuclear reactor on board. Needless to say, this type of brute-force solution makes for an expensive military toy.
Second, making this work in the absence of a sound theoretical underpinning would be the ultimate in guess-as-you-go, much like Edison inventing the lightbulb. The industry just isn't geared for that kind of research work -- it runs counter to the entire way flying machines are created in the world.
The really interesting issue is what about the Space Shuttle replacement? Just guessing, one can assume that right now there are serious discussions going on about releasing this technology. Even if it is buggy (which it isn't), I can't imagine any politician spending billions on the new CEV without including every edge we can have. There is a limited amount of time that any new technological leap can give you a strategic advantage: the US is already so far ahead of all other countries that AG is more of a political liability than a strategic asset. My advice is for NRO to fess-up and do the right thing. Yes it will change the balance of things but if we control the release, we control the changes. If it happens unplanned, that's the worst possible world. Fly that bad boy to the Paris Air Show, or better yet, Sun-N-Fun down in Lakeland Florida.
BTW, the TR-3B is said to reduce gravity on-board by 89%. This would explain the 40G maneuvers reported by these aircraft. Also the Mach 9+ performance. Sounds like it would be a hoot to take it for a ride around the patch.
UPDATE: Here's a nice CNN article for further reading, also a Space.com story on gravity research. Here's a nice piece of information: Japanese giant Toshiba is secretly funding AG research.