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Originally Posted by SASless
(Post 10346033)
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. |
Originally Posted by Misformonkey
(Post 10348021)
I don’t see the link between the x-37 and x-47? I meant X-37c. Apologies. |
X37b
One of the possibilities is that the X37b is the ‘mother ship’ and carries a LO vehicle which can manouver independently to overhead areas of interest. This gets round the ‘you can see it coming’ problem and would explain the long mission times. |
Perhaps this story has passed its 'sell by' date. The claims have been around for the past 30 years and nothing has shown up.
In contrast, the SR 71 broke cover within much less than a decade, during the height of the cold war, when security mattered. Even the core design aspects of the H bomb were leaked within a 30 year time frame, despite diligent security efforts. It may be that the intelligence bang for the buck is so much greater in digital snooping than in overflight that the resources were shifted, but the USAF still benefits from the mystery. |
Originally Posted by chopper2004
(Post 10371116)
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That was doing the rounds back in 2003-2004 time frame (the patent rather than the watercolors). I remember because I was annoyed that the flight sim X-Plane couldn't handle that configuration.
As I recall, only the fruitloop sites thought it was anything other than IP protection. |
Originally Posted by The AvgasDinosaur
(Post 10304192)
Perhaps, the Mach 5 wondership gets you to the point of interest quickly, then slows down to do its 'observations' then gets its take home quick Serious question how long would the heat soak take to cool down sufficiently to avoid IR detection? thanks for your time and trouble. Be lucky David Thanks for your time and trouble David |
Originally Posted by SpeedFanatic
(Post 10345027)
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! I too would like details of that autobiography. Please. Be lucky David |
Could the other aircraft be the oft rumoured TR-3 ? |
I'd love to know what the bright light was that I saw in formation with the ISS a few years ago as it passed over the northern hemisphere. There was nothing published about a re-supply mission yet there it was, in trail.
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Originally Posted by ShyTorque
(Post 10567830)
I'd love to know what the bright light was that I saw in formation with the ISS a few years ago as it passed over the northern hemisphere. There was nothing published about a re-supply mission yet there it was, in trail.
An experiment maybe? Also they do fly microsatellites from ISS on occasion. |
Originally Posted by treadigraph
(Post 10298677)
According to Ben Rich "Aurora" was a Pentagon name allocated for funding the B-2 programme... Or something like that.
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Of course it exists, only a fool...... or the British Government..... would withdraw a strategic asset without having a replacement ready to enter service. :E
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"a fool...... or the British Government..... would withdraw a strategic asset without having a replacement ready to enter service. "
Nut - I think you need to add "if it is still needed" remember how the RAF built up a very useful front-line capability of in the '30's of fast, two seat army co-operation aircraft? When they needed replacement it was done without thinking it through and they bought the Fairey Battle - but times had changed................ You could argue the same about buying the B-58 - the mission was still there but the means of achieving it changed |
Originally Posted by dead_pan
(Post 10568016)
Somehow I doubt it was anything that secret seeing as the Russians would have had a front row seat from their section of ISS...
An experiment maybe? Also they do fly microsatellites from ISS on occasion. |
Asturias56.......... One was thinking Nimrod. :)
Of course it exists, only a fool...... or the British Government..... would withdraw a strategic asset, if it is still needed, without having a replacement ready to enter service. |
Originally Posted by ShyTorque
(Post 10568135)
I have no idea but whatever it was, there seemed nothing “micro” about its size - it was almost as bright as the ISS itself and I saw it without a telescope. |
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At the end of the Cold War strategic assets and capabilities were being withdrawn without replacement all over the world...
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https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c451965b43.jpg One major radio frequency model (Image 4) developed under IRAD was suitable for integrating inlets, nozzles, apertures, edges, and other subsystems. It was designed for installation on the 30,000-pound rotator at the Meridian Antenna Test Range in Meridian, Texas. |
Originally Posted by Davef68
(Post 10568274)
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/wei...craft-19336512
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....37185b3748.jpg |
Originally Posted by tartare
(Post 10568628)
That whole series of images is laughably fake.
It is, isn't it? :-) |
Interesting article from the War Zone
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ofomhC_k2bupKo https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....1d0a1a1cb.jpeg |
Originally Posted by chopper2004
(Post 10371116)
As always, probably reading way too much into this, but in this image from the Boeing patent referenced in the linked article: https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....902702f069.jpg Doesn't the mothership forward fuselage and nose in the drawing look a bit like Stratolaunch/Roc? https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....72fc0ba1bc.jpg |
There is a model of the Aurora hanging from the ceiling in the mezzanine level of the lobby of a building in Langley . Of course it could just be a piece of misinformation, but it is on display right next to a blackbird ( not sure which model ) and a U2 . They like to throw breadcrumbs out there to keep people guessing .
That said one plane matching the Aurora was spotted by a well respected plane spotter in the North Sea , only thing I saw that week was a killer whale hunting seals between the platform legs . Just another reason not to go swimming even when the water looks nice enough . |
The truth is out there, another ISR platform in development
There is something else lurking in the wings
https://theaviationist.com/2023/11/0...GZfx0RF7TB5jJo and I know Vargo very well cheers |
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b79158fb76.png
Saw this while looking at Pima bone yard near Tucson on Google maps. Sleek aircraft with associated tooling and equipment but can't find out what it is. Picture is a Google map screen grab. Coordinates 32.151261, -110.843417 I am not suggesting that this is the aircraft that you seek. |
RCS model for an F-18 variant which didn’t go anywhere.
https://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1161511/pg1 https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....606c412cb.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....ce34854d7.jpeg |
Thank you Sir. Could never make sense of the image. All clear now.
Thanks. |
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