Posted on 02/19/2009 7:02:08 AM PST by yankeedame
The CIA estimates that more than half of the UFOs reported in the 1950s and 1960s were really American spy planes. Here are six (no longer) secret aircraft that people have mistaken for extraterrestrial flying saucers.
By Phil Patton, with additional reporting by Davin Coburn, Erin McCarthy, Joe Pappalardo and Erik Sofge
Published in the March 2009 issue.
Spy and stealth planes—some with bizarre, bat-shaped wings, others with triangular silhouettes that imply otherworldly designs—have long generated UFO sightings and lore. And official denials feed rumors that the government isn’t telling us about alien ships. The CIA estimates that over half of the UFOs reported from the ’50s through the ’60s were U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. At the time, the Air Force misled the public and the media to protect these Cold War programs; it’s possible the government’s responses to current sightings of classified craft—whether manned or remotely operated—are equally evasive. The result is an ongoing source of UFO reports and conspiracy theories. Here are the Earth-built craft that likely have lit up 911 switchboards over the years.
1. RQ-3 Darkstar
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin/Boeing
First Test Flight: 1996
Deployment: None (it was canceled in 1999)
Declassified: 1995
Size: 15 ft long; 69-ft wingspan
Performance: 288 mph (cruising speed); 45,000+ ft (max. alt.)
UFO Link: The official life span of this unmanned spy plane was brief and disappointing, with a crash and a program cancellation after just three years. But in 2003, Aviation Week reported that a similar stealth UAV was being used in Iraq—fueling speculation that the government scrapped the craft publicly only to secretly resurrect it for clandestine missions.
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2. U-2
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1955
Deployment: 1957 to present
Declassified: 1960
Size: 49 ft long; 80-ft wingspan
Performance: 410 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)
UFO Link: Designed for high-altitude reconnaissance, the U-2’s long, gliderlike wings and silver color would have been notable to observers on the ground and in the sky. In the 1960s the airplane was painted black to avoid reflections. The U-2 is also famous for being among the first classified planes to be flown from the Air Force’s secret test facility at Groom Lake, Nev.—aka Area 51.
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3. SR-71 Blackbird
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1964 Deployment: 1966 to 1990, 1995 to 1998
Declassified: 1964
Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan
Performance: 2432 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)
UFO Link: The tailless spy plane has an even more unusual cross section than the U-2. This Area 51 alum was briefly reactivated in the 1990s, and rumors of a followup—the now-legendary Aurora project—have supplied both UFO believers and skeptics with a possible source of unexplained sightings.
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4. P-791
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 2006
Deployment: Unknown
UFO Link: Plane spotters’ photos and videos blew the top-secret cover off a 5-minute inaugural flight in Palmdale, Calif. The hybrid airship—it uses gas and a wing shape for lift—fuels speculation that classified airships quietly roam the night skies.
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5. F-117A Nighthawk
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1981
Deployment: 1983 to 2008
Declassified: 1988
Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan
UFO Link: This long-range stealth fighter, which could stay aloft indefinitely thanks to midair refueling, remained classified through much of the 1980s during test flights at Tonopah Test Field Range in Nevada, 80 miles from the legendary Area 51 Groom Lake facility. Along with the B-2 Spirit, the batlike F-117A was a perfect candidate for triangular UFO sightings.
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6. B-2 Spirit
Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
First Test Flight: 1989
Deployment: 1997 to present
Declassified: 1988 Size: 69 ft long; 172-ft wingspan
UFO Link: Although the long-range bomber was never a true “black aircraft,” since it was displayed to the public approximately eight months before its first flight, an airborne B-2 is a UFO report waiting to happen. It looks like an alien craft from nearly any angle and specifically like a flying saucer when viewed head-on or in profile.
Udvar-Hazey branch of the Smithsonian.
I never could figure out why she had an invisible plane, when you could see her in it. Plus, who maintained it?
Another early model is in the Seattle Air and Space Museum. I think it was built in the early 60s.
At altitude, the flying envelope was five knots. Five
knots between never exceed speed and stall.
Well, the wings were kind of a limitation. Plus, until the Soviets got lucky and knocked one down, they were going for altitude versus speed to stay out of danger.
They have/had them at Osan AB. They were quite a sight. I even witnessed a couple of landings where I could swear the engine was not running. It just glided in, silent as night. Usually you'd hear something as they landed, but a few times, the only thing to indicate its presence was a shadow.
and designed with slide rules on drafting tables!
I was doing TDY at Edwards AFB and had the pleasure of seeing one of these take off at night. It was truely amazing.
“At altitude, the flying envelope was five knots. Five
knots between never exceed speed and stall.”
That’s truly amazing.
Meaning the other half were UFOs?
Number 7
Is that an undoctored photo? If so, very cool!
Dave, wasn’t the F-16XL with the “cranked-delta wing” General Dynamic’s entry into the program that ultimately yielded the F-15E Strike Eagle? I think I remember reading that somewhere...
That’s a great excerpt. I wonder what a Sled Driver’s definition of “scary Mach numbers” translates to. I’d like to find a book, but what I’ve seen, they’re expen$$$ive.
Here is a new one - smells like skunk and a pilot who has fun scaring the natives!
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1025246.html
http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0209/wichita.html
“Dave, wasn’t the F-16XL with the “cranked-delta wing” General Dynamic’s entry into the program that ultimately yielded the F-15E Strike Eagle?”
Yep, that’s it. They also wanted to enter it into the ATF competition as they felt it could have been modified to meet all requirements of the contract for about 50 -60 mil a copy. They were told no by the pentagon though because they wanted all new, not modified older. Dumd decision looking back, especially when zero closed f-22 production at 183 airframes this year.
It’s real, it was taken on the F117 farewell tour last year.
SZ
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