BEagle. I concur entirely with what you say. A "few knots" between stall and transonic at very high altitude in a straight wing, powered glider. I too, support APG63's description of the purpose of the chase vehicle.
And, yes, all the guys on the programme that I met in various locations were older than their 20s and all fiercely proud of what they did. An utterly professional bunch of guys. 500N made that point very well.