Does Blackbird successor Lockheed SR-72 Aurora actually exist?
And then there was the Project Eclipse
Project Eclipse
The F106 was considered rugged enough to be used in a sub orbital environment. There is video of the towing trials
Project Eclipse
The F106 was considered rugged enough to be used in a sub orbital environment. There is video of the towing trials
You learn sumfing everyday.
As late as the late 90's...
The gap between the YF-12 / D-21 - SR-71 and the space shuttle was clearly full of some very interesting ideas - some of which still haven't seen the light of day.
I seem to remember a story from somewhere about a very interesting evolutionary chart, which is quite an eye opener, on the wall of a corridor or room at the Skunk Works.
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Town
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello,
First time poster/long time lurker here. This thread has lot of beautiful ideas and tidbits, some of them I can confirm with the things I know.
Gulf War I - F-117s flew along with another, yet undisclosed, bird. The unknown aircraft played as an "door-opener" for Nighthawks during their bombing runs. The situation happened again in the early 2000's during the first few nights of OIF. The unknown bird was supposed to be around a few years back, way after they retired F-117. So it is more like just "Nighthawk's helper". It is EW jet with little strike potential, too. It was built in smaller numbers than F-117.
A question to Ewan Whosearmy:
Could you provide name of the pilot's autobiography? Would love to read it!
First time poster/long time lurker here. This thread has lot of beautiful ideas and tidbits, some of them I can confirm with the things I know.
Gulf War I - F-117s flew along with another, yet undisclosed, bird. The unknown aircraft played as an "door-opener" for Nighthawks during their bombing runs. The situation happened again in the early 2000's during the first few nights of OIF. The unknown bird was supposed to be around a few years back, way after they retired F-117. So it is more like just "Nighthawk's helper". It is EW jet with little strike potential, too. It was built in smaller numbers than F-117.
A question to Ewan Whosearmy:
Two things stick in my mind on this topic:
2. I'll need to dig out his name, but I read the autobiography of an RAF fast jet pilot a few years back, in which he stated he had seen something flying into RAF Mildenhall very late one Sunday night. It was triangular in shape (but not the B-2). I don't recall the details, but I think he was at that time on a ground tour, and had some kind of liaison responsibility between the RAF and USAF. He phoned Mildenhall the next day to enquire what the aircraft type was. They responded that there had been no aircraft movements that Sunday. He fairly rapidly then gets a call from someone in MoD telling him that he didn't see anything and to stop asking questions.
2. I'll need to dig out his name, but I read the autobiography of an RAF fast jet pilot a few years back, in which he stated he had seen something flying into RAF Mildenhall very late one Sunday night. It was triangular in shape (but not the B-2). I don't recall the details, but I think he was at that time on a ground tour, and had some kind of liaison responsibility between the RAF and USAF. He phoned Mildenhall the next day to enquire what the aircraft type was. They responded that there had been no aircraft movements that Sunday. He fairly rapidly then gets a call from someone in MoD telling him that he didn't see anything and to stop asking questions.
Cunning Artificer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Age: 76
Posts: 3,127
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
He claims that after 17 years the US defence department is reaching the latter stages of trialing space-age military aircraft capable of astonishing speeds.
Yes that's Mach 20 not a misprint.
One thing for sure....over taking it from its Six O'Clock will take some doing I suppose!
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Town
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you, Beancountercumru!
Well, as I see there is no actual description of how the plane looked like. Tom Eeles just confirmed he saw something unusual because of the sound the aircraft(s) made. There isn't anything about the planform design unfortunately, so we really can't say whether it was triangular shape or not...
Well, as I see there is no actual description of how the plane looked like. Tom Eeles just confirmed he saw something unusual because of the sound the aircraft(s) made. There isn't anything about the planform design unfortunately, so we really can't say whether it was triangular shape or not...
Considering the secrecy and security levels for Groom Lake/Area 51...and knowing its background....one must wonder why it continues yet today.
There must be some very sensitive programs going on there for sure.
Not far from my current abode there is a small government facility.....where booms and bangs are frequently heard....and in the past small groups of very hard men trained there for a take down of a rather high value target in an unfriendly friendly country not our own.
Lots of secret locations to be considered.
It is good I suppose that the general public do not know everything that is going on at most of those places.
There must be some very sensitive programs going on there for sure.
Not far from my current abode there is a small government facility.....where booms and bangs are frequently heard....and in the past small groups of very hard men trained there for a take down of a rather high value target in an unfriendly friendly country not our own.
Lots of secret locations to be considered.
It is good I suppose that the general public do not know everything that is going on at most of those places.
It is good I suppose that the general public do not know everything that is going on at most of those places.
Oh please....don't get me started on that topic!
There are a swoop of folks in Congress that have no clue of what is going on much less what is going on outside of Congress!
There are a swoop of folks in Congress that have no clue of what is going on much less what is going on outside of Congress!
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: UK
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
About this time of year, back in 1996, I was living next to what had, until quite recently, been a USAF base in the UK. Late one night I was out in the rear garden and saw two white lights above the trees in the direction of the old base. These two lights approached and eventually I could make out that they were on the wingtips of something quite large and kite-shaped. Whatever it was flew over my head, over my house and continued in a straight line, visible for a good ten minutes. It wasn't really possible to get an idea of scale but it reminded me of standing under a B-52 on finals. There was no sound at all. I had always assumed that it was some US black project and, perhaps, the pilot had come to have a look at where he'd previously been based.
The link to the declassified documents is the first time I've ever seen anything that looked remotely similar. Figure 8 on page 9-10 shows a "stealthy ucav concent" which, I assume, should read concept. It's the right sort of shape but I have no idea about size or whether this was actually built. Fascinating read, though.
The link to the declassified documents is the first time I've ever seen anything that looked remotely similar. Figure 8 on page 9-10 shows a "stealthy ucav concent" which, I assume, should read concept. It's the right sort of shape but I have no idea about size or whether this was actually built. Fascinating read, though.
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Australia
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hmmmm. The previous poster obviously got a sneaky peak at the CIAs SILENTKITTEN project. In the name of OPSEC, would the test pilots have been better off avoiding flying low over old military bases surrounded by houses replete with neighbours standing outside watering their gardens?
Well there you go.
You learn sumfing everyday.
As late as the late 90's...
The gap between the YF-12 / D-21 - SR-71 and the space shuttle was clearly full of some very interesting ideas - some of which still haven't seen the light of day.
I seem to remember a story from somewhere about a very interesting evolutionary chart, which is quite an eye opener, on the wall of a corridor or room at the Skunk Works.
You learn sumfing everyday.
As late as the late 90's...
The gap between the YF-12 / D-21 - SR-71 and the space shuttle was clearly full of some very interesting ideas - some of which still haven't seen the light of day.
I seem to remember a story from somewhere about a very interesting evolutionary chart, which is quite an eye opener, on the wall of a corridor or room at the Skunk Works.
cheers
Theres 'white noise' played outside some of the offices in Skunk Works...as those who walk past cannot eavesdrop or overhear whats been discussed in one let their right hand not know what thy left does. This was the flightglobal the former USA editor of FG who also ran the DEW Line defence blog/news section until the other year. In 2006/7 (?), he was invited to see the Lockheed ACCA (Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft) modified from a Dornier 328.
The facilities are big and the L-M had cleared one hangar with only the ACCA in the middle of one hangar albeit 'sanitised' for his vist. However he inadverntly turned his head and the hangar is a tad bigger than expected as he spotted a partioning with a bulbous nose above the partition.
About this time of year, back in 1996, I was living next to what had, until quite recently, been a USAF base in the UK. Late one night I was out in the rear garden and saw two white lights above the trees in the direction of the old base. These two lights approached and eventually I could make out that they were on the wingtips of something quite large and kite-shaped. Whatever it was flew over my head, over my house and continued in a straight line, visible for a good ten minutes. It wasn't really possible to get an idea of scale but it reminded me of standing under a B-52 on finals. There was no sound at all. I had always assumed that it was some US black project and, perhaps, the pilot had come to have a look at where he'd previously been based.
The link to the declassified documents is the first time I've ever seen anything that looked remotely similar. Figure 8 on page 9-10 shows a "stealthy ucav concent" which, I assume, should read concept. It's the right sort of shape but I have no idea about size or whether this was actually built. Fascinating read, though.
The link to the declassified documents is the first time I've ever seen anything that looked remotely similar. Figure 8 on page 9-10 shows a "stealthy ucav concent" which, I assume, should read concept. It's the right sort of shape but I have no idea about size or whether this was actually built. Fascinating read, though.
cheers
cheers
there was talk of developing a manned version ...
https://newatlas.com/x37b-manned-spaceplane/20175/
cheers
Last edited by chopper2004; 31st Dec 2018 at 04:29.
Pretty sure that a M5, M6 (e.g. X-15) aircraft isn't generating a plasma out of the air it's hitting; it's just getting jolly hot. At the start of reentry, Shuttle was moving at about M17...
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The X-37 came along too late for the reported sightings, similarly the X-47A is the right kite shape, just at least a decade too late.