Black aircraft like
the Black Manta
have been tested
at Area 51
for years.
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Area 51 has been at the forefront of aviation for almost 50 years. Below are its amazing aircraft in chronological order.
U-2 Spyplane
The U-2 was tested when Area 51 was still a bunch of tents and Quonset huts. Flying at 70,000 feet, the U-2 overflew the USSR with impunity for years until one was shot down in 1960. Until they were painted black in the sixties, a fair percentage of UFO sightings were actually reflections from the silver bodied U-2 reconnaissance plane.
Suntan
Only four prototypes of the Mach 2.5 CL-400 or Suntan were ever built. This successor to the U-2 was to be powered by liquid hydrogen but it was deemed too costly to create an infrastructure for refueling around the world. The program was cancelled in the late fifties.
SR-71
The true successor to the U-2, the mach 3 SR-71 flies at 90,000 feet, uses 8,000 gallons of fuel per hour and has outrun countless SAMs. Built of titanium, the SR-71's surface temperature reaches 3,000 degrees during flight. Deactivated in 1990, the program has recently been revived, some believe because of problems with the Aurora.
Captured Soviet Craft
Area 51 is home to the Red Hat Squadron - fliers of captured or stolen Soviet craft. In fact, Groom Lake has so many Soviet craft that fliers often call it Red Square. Started in the 60's, the Red Hats have been key to improving kill ratios in Vietnam, the Gulf and Serbia. Craft include Mig 21s & 23s and the advanced Su 27.
Tacit Blue
This ungainly craft known as Shamu was at the forefront of technology for over a decade. It's mission - World War III. It was designed to direct thousands of munitions onto waves of invading armor. It is currently on display in an Ohio museum.
Stealth Fighter
Code named Senior Trend and known as the Hopeless Diamond, the F-117 Stealth Fighter was designed in the late seventies. So stealthy, aircrews sometimes find dead bats whose own sonar is so confused by the signal return from the F-117 that they crash into parked craft. The hero of the Gulf war, the Stealth Fighter is still tasked to take out the toughest targets and is only now becoming vulnerable to enemy radar.
Black Manta
The TR3A Black Manta or Baby B-2 is widely thought to be the successor to the Stealth Fighter. Sightings around Area 51 are starting to be made of a smooth, rounded flying wing that is much smaller than a Stealth Bomber. Faster and more stealthy than the F-117, some believe it has already seen combat. It supposedly works in tandem with the Stealth Fighter, relaying target information.
Aurora
This mach 6 craft is the replacement to the SR-71. Thought to be powered by liquid methane, the Aurora has a "doughnuts on a rope" contrail and supposedly requires a huge airfield to land. Much controversy remains of this unacknowledged aircraft - some believe the Aurora is really a UAV while other believe the program has been an abject failure, thereby forcing the reactivation of the SR-71. Still others believe that the whole program is just disinformation.
Brilliant Buzzard
The Brilliant Buzzard or Mothership is thought to be a huge aircraft with a wingspan of two hundred feet or so which actually launches smaller reconnaissance craft. Sightings of this delta winged craft first began in the early nineties. Some believe that it and the Aurora are one and the same.
Stealth Cruise Missile
The newest cruise missiles all sport stealth technology to overcome their relatively low speed. Early stealth cruise missiles were tested at Area 51 but no version is currently in service. The more "white" versions from Lockheed are pictured here.
Uavs
Most of Area 51's current testing involves UAVs or unmanned aerial vehicles. While currently designed for reconnaissance, UAVs will be later designed for remote control combat. Since they are unmanned, it is widely believed that some can move and turn at extreme speeds. In a sense, true man made UFOs. The more "white" versions are pictured here.
Bird of Prey
Named after the Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek, this fighter or tactical bomber prototype was just unveiled on October 18, 2002. Built at Boeing's Phantom Works as a proof of concept, this craft is thought to be able to attain speeds of 300 mph. It was first flown in 1996 and uses new technologies that enable it to fly stealthy even during daylight.
Pop-ups
While not fully an Area 51 only project, pop-ups like the X-33 and others are thought to have technology that was pioneered at Area 51. They often sport "new" technology that is already developed but yet has never been tested on known aircraft. In fact, some believe that the X-33 space plane is really the "white" version of the Aurora.
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