EYE WITNESS TO STEALTH CRAFT

JUNE 7, 2007

 

Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 8:56 AM
Subject: The Weirdest Plane I've Ever Seen

 
Hi: I'm so excited I just have to tell everyone about his.
 
I was standing out in my yard examining the garden and I heard a loud airplane. It sounded very low, so I looked up to see what kind it was. I couldn't see the plane, but I was hearing the sound.  The sound usually follows the plane after it passes, so I looked ahead of the sound and what I saw nearly blew my mind.
 
I was seeing this ghost of a plane it seemed - it looked like a normal size and shape plane, with normal wings, but it was the same color as the sky, except the wing edges seemed a little darker blue.  It seemed that there was a haze in the sky where the plane was like it was hiding the plane, but I could still see the ghostly image of the plane and the sound followed it so I knew I wasn't imagining what I was seeing. The plane was headed west by northwest towards Modesto, CA. The sky was clear blue and cloudless with no haze. The haze was seen only under the plane itself.
 
It was amazing. I still can't get over it - it was like seeing the sky 'through' the plane like it was mostly invisible. Amazing.
 
Dee

This reminds me of a weird sighting I had several years ago that I'm looking for more witnesses of as well.  That craft was pitch black and absolutely soundless.  I saw it come out of a cloud and it glided due west towards Modesto, CA.  A couple of years later, a man from Modesto e-mailed me and said he saw an identical  craft over Modesto at which time it was going due north. We couldn't absolutely determine it was the same day because too much time had passed by then. The man had a witness to his sighting who was a waitress in the restaurant where he was the cook.  He said that she freaked out when she saw it and ran back into the building.
 

In recent years, various craft have been seen, sometimes with strange behavior.
From those data certain characteristics of the performances remained constant or nearly so though the timing of my own sighting doesn't match this list:

However, other characteristics of the performances are at odds with what is typical for conventional aircraft or what is aerodynamically possible for aircraft dependent on wings and/or air/thrust for flight.  All the characteristics listed below have been documented on Cornet's various web pages.

Some aircraft of human design can hover and travel at slow speeds, but they are usually very noisy (e.g. helicopters and jump jets).

Aside from the unusual shapes of these craft, which range from triangles to diamond and boomerang shapes, they all had the characteristic of blending in with the night background.  In other words, the surfaces of the craft were stealth or low observable, and reflected minimal or no light from the various navigation lights and strobes that they carried, even when headlights flared or strobes flashed so brightly that their intensity would illuminate major portions of the airframe of a conventional jetliner.

This might fit my sighting of the conventional appearing plane that was nearly invisible -

Plasma -  links to plasma physics sites.

     Couple of things to keep in mind: plasma is ionized gas particles. Therefore, plasma flow is a flow of ionized gas particles. Ion is an electrically charged particle or group of atoms. Plasma cloud is a quasineutral (total electrical charge is zero) collection of free charged particles. The vast majority of matter in the universe exists in plasma state. Near the Earth plasma can be found in the form of solar wind, magnetosphere and ionosphere. The main property of plasma (for our purposes) is its frequency, which is equal to a square root of a ratio of 4 * Pi * square of ion charge * concentration of ions to the mass of ion:

     There are several types of oscillations in plasma: low frequency (ion-sound waves), high frequency (oscillations of electrons relative to ions), spiral waves (in the presence of a magnetic field - "magnetosound"), and cross waves propagating along a magnetic field. A device for generating plasma is called plasmatron. This device generates the so-called low-temperature plasma. A brief guide to plasmas

This is not new:

Russians offer radical stealth device for export

"A Russian scientific research organisation is to offer for export a 'bolt-on' stealth device that it claims renders non-stealthy aircraft practically invisible to radar. The system, which envelops the aircraft in a cloak of ionised gas known as a plasma, is said to be fully developed, with work on a "third-generation visibility-reduction system" under way.

Keldysh NITs (Nauchno-Issledovatelskiy Tsentr or Scientific Research Centre) is making the claims. According to its director, Anatoliy Koroteyev, the system weighs less than 100kg and consumes little more than several dozen kW of power.

Given the state of the Russian economy, analysts consider it unlikely that any of NITs' work has been applied to Russian Air Force aircraft. According to Koroteyev, however, the system will soon be offered for export.

By installing the system, a typical aircraft radar cross-section (RCS) might be cut "by more than 100 times", Keldysh NITs officials said. This would be much the same RCS as dedicated US stealth aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-117 stealth fighter and the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber.

The claims are given credence by corroborating information on the status of Russian aerospace plasma research acquired by Jane's Defence Weekly last year. Russian work in the use of plasmas that purported to reduce aircraft drag by as much as 30% was collated by British Aerospace (BAe) in the mid-1990s. BAe has since been trying to verify the Russian claims in experiments carried out jointly with the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and the UK Ministry of Defence (JDW 17 June 1998).

One of the spin-offs of 'plasma aerodynamics', Russian officials told BAe, was that it vastly reduced an aircraft's RCS. The absorption of radio waves by plasmas is well known as the communications black-out that a space vehicle encounters on re-entry is caused by the shielding effects of plasma. This builds naturally in front of the spacecraft as it hits the Earth's atmosphere and shocks the air to high temperature.

The same principle applies to the absorption of radar energy. Although the aircraft would appear to glow like a lightbulb, using plasma generators all around the airframe, it would be almost invisible on a radar screen, Russian officials maintain.

In the opinion of designers at Mikoyan and Sukhoi, the expense of all-embracing low-observable technology as applied in the US Air Force's F-117 and B-2 outweighs its effectiveness. Russians prefer to stress the 'balance' achieved in their latest-generation of fighter designs between aerodynamic efficiency and stealth. The Mikoyan 1-44 and Sukhoi S-37 technology demonstrators, both of which have been rolled out in the past 18 months, are supposed to make use of radar-absorbent paint and materials but are short of inherent stealth features.

Keldysh NITs said that "first- and second-" generation plasma-generators had been tested on the ground and in flight. The centre is working on a third-generation system "based on new physical principles", a possible reference to the use of electrostatic energy around an airframe to reduce RCS. Others believe the Russians could be attempting to duplicate secret work under way in the USA to make aircraft invisible to the human eye by using 'smart skins' that mimic their background."

(source: Jane's Defence Wekly, March 17, 1999)

Russian Academy of Sciences recently revealed information about a novel "stealth" technology, that incorporates plasma fields. Russian ITAR/TASS news agency recently interviewed the director of the Keldysh Research Center (FKA Scientific Research Institute for Thermal Processes), Academician Anatoliy Koroteyev, who briefly summarized capabilities of plasma stealth system developed by his research center and the current status of the project. You can read the entire ITAR/TASS article in Russian or in English (external link.) An interesting fact: Keldysh Research Center operates a unique plasma wind tunnel for analyzing propagation of electromagnetic waves in the vicinity of a spacecraft as well as for testing of antenna inserts and ion thrusters. Detailed info about Keldysh Research Center here.

First, I would like to assure people with high school physics background that, at least in theory, the system, described by Academician Koroteyev, is perfectly valid. Interactions between various types of electromagnetic radiation and plasma fields were studied for many years in Russia, the United States and around the world. Among recent achievement in this area is a "plasma stealth" antenna developed by the US Navy for use on LO aircraft. The system employs a U-shaped glass tube filled with low-pressure gas (something like a fluorescent tube). This antenna is energized and acts as a highly-directional, electronically steered transmitter/receiver. When de-energized, the antenna is virtually transparent to hostile electromagnetic signals. One of the problems with such a system is its vulnerability to resonant signals. For more information click here.

The system developed by the Russians is also based on electromagnetic wave-plasma interactions, but in a very different way. Russian stealth plasma device creates a plasma field around an aircraft. This field partially consumes electromagnetic energy of a hostile radar or causes it to bend around the aircraft, reducing the aircraft RCS by up to 100 times. Sounds fantastic? Not really: effects of dissipation and bending of electromagnetic signals in presence of plasma field have been observed for decades. If there is anything new about the system developed by the Russians it certainly is not the theoretical part but technical aspects of the plasma generator. Keldysh Research Center claims to have developed, built and tested a plasma shield generator that weighs only 100 kg.

The idea of creating a plasma field around an aircraft is not a new one either. Such a possibility was thoroughly studied by both Russians and Americans. This was done for very different reasons, however. Aircraft designers want to use a plasma shield generator on hypersonic aircraft. In this application, plasma may be generated by a powerful plasma laser and will act as a heat shield for an aircraft. There are plans to use such a system in conjunction with a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion to achieve velocities up to Mach 50. For more information click here or here. This is truly unbelievable, but even this theoretically and technologically is perfectly possible. It is not known whether the plasma stealth system developed by the Russians employs a plasma laser or some other method for creating a plasma field.

Plasma physics was given priority in Russia many years ago, which resulted in a number of breakthroughs in theory as well as practical applications of plasma. Perhaps one of the most interesting and promising applications of plasma is the so-called ion thruster, used to propel spacecraft. This technology was first developed in Russia (mainly by Keldysh Research Center) and recently successfully used on an American satellite Deep Space 1. The system uses xenon gas as fuel and can achieve exhaust velocities of up to 30 km/sec (ten times that of an average rocket engine.) Wouldn't you like to understand how this ion drive really works? You go back to college or follow this link to MSNBC excellent interactive "Ion Drive" guide. Interesting to note that first such "ion thrusters" were developed in USSR and used on Soviet spacecraft almost 30 years ago.

So, one proposal is to charge leading and trailing edges of an aircraft. Russians have an interesting and very advanced project for  a hypersonic plane called "AJAX." This particular aircraft is supposed to create plasma at the leading and trailing edges of its body using electrostatic charges. This aircraft design is directly related to those described in recent issues of Scientific American and Air International. This type of an aircraft uses electrostatic charges to ionize air near the surface of its body. This is done for several reasons: first, is to create a protective plasma shield to separate the aircraft from superheated air at hypersonic speed. Second reason to ionize air is to achieve smoother air flow across the fuselage of the aircraft. Another reason for creating plasma is to used in conjunction with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion system for hypersonic travel. Here is a link to a very detailed description of AJAX.

     What effect exactly would this plasma have on the RCS of the aircraft? It would reduce it significantly. Of course, an aircraft equipped with electrostatic charge generators does not need to have hypersonic capability to ionize air near its surface, so, we must not look at capability to ionize air as neccessarily connected with hypersonic flight or MHD propulsion. Will the aircraft glow in the dark - most likely yes. This, however, is a small drawback since we are interested about radar detection, i.e. - beyond visual range detection.

Following the controversial presentation of the Russian new LO fighter prototype, Mikoyan 1.42/1.44, a number of photographs were published in the media. A detailed photo of the nose section of this aircraft created some theories on rec.aviation.military. On the photo one can clearly see a number of antenna-like protrusions. Some people suggested that these protrusions may have something to do with plasma stealth. Other people said that the "whiskers" were probably related to the test equipment installed on this experimental aircraft or, perhaps, related to an active radar signal cancellation system rumored to be used on MiG 1.42. Here is another explanation also from sci.physics.electromagnetism:

An interesting article from Russian Air Fleet magazine appeared recently on rec.aviation.military. It directly links the information from Keldysh research center about their plasma stealth system with the Mikoyan's MFI fighter aircraft (MiG 1.42). Here is the link to a translation of this article by rec.aviation.military's "Ivan the Bear": MFI Multifunction Frontal Fighter.

Another article mentioning a possibility of a plasma stealth device on the MFI appeared in the April 1999 issue of Air Forces Monthly.

Excerpted from: http://www.aeronautics.ru/plasmamain.htm


The following page is about chemtrails, which is interesting.  I'm very familiar with chemtrails, but there were none in the sky the day of my sighting.

http://www.orbwar.com/holographic-jet-orb-chemsprayer.htm

The following page is also about chemtrails and I have seen this phenomena myself, but the planes are 10 times higher than the one I saw the other day:

http://www.bariumblues.com/where's_the_plane.htm

See: http://www.greatdreams.com/chems.htm

Cloaking, stealth or phantom  technology constitutes the most sophisticated and efficient approach towards search engine optimization. A mystique surrounding cloaking or stealth tech abounds, however, and confusion seems to rule the day.

Maybe this is it:

CLOAKING TECH: Camouflage for Warfighters
Cloaking technology that renders an object, person, or vehicle 85-100% invisible to the human eye? DefenseReview investigates.

By David Crane
Editor, DefenseReview.com

Back in March, DefenseReview reported on the Stealth Technology System (STS) being developed at Advanced American Enterprises (AAE) in our article titled Is Cloaking Technology for U.S. Infantry Warfighters Finally Possible? STS utilizes a form of electro-optical camouflage (referred to also as optical camouflage, adaptive camouflage, active camouflage, chameleonic camouflage, and cloaking technology). Advanced American Enterprises (AAE) AAE uses the tem "invisibility stealth" to describe the effect of their tech, which, according to them renders an object, person, or vehicle 85-100% invisible to the human eye or video camera in the visible spectrum (visible light) as soon as you flip the switch to "on", even while the cloaked item is moving.
 
If true, i.e. if the technology actually works as advertised, that's pretty cool on its own. However, Advanced American Enterprises (AAE) claims that the...

STS tech also camouflages/hides whatever it's covering against NODs/NVDs (Night Observation Devices/Night Vision Devices) and IR detection devices (thermal/IR camouflage), as well. AAE refers to the latter capability as "IR-Stealth", and they assert that their lab experiments to date show that STS' IR-Stealth capability even surpasses it's "Visibility-Stealth" (visual stealth in visible light spectrum) capability. AAE claims that STS works in all weather conditions.

The technology does have limitations. AAE states in their literature that the Stealth Technology System's minimum effective distance is 20 ft for both Visibility Stealth and IR Stealth. In other words, the observer or detection device has to be at least 20 feet away from the cloaked object. 20" is still awfully close for someone not to be able to spot an APC or MBT (Main Battle Tank). DefenseReview is therefore skeptical about AAE's rather extraordinary claims regarding their technology's capabilities, especially since we haven't yet seen a live demontration of the technology, ourselves. Having said that, AAE states that it is willing to conduct a live field demonstration of the STS tech "where a person rises and shoots blanks at observers and camcorder at more than 20 feet way without being spotted by the observers or by the camcorder" for prospective customers. Hmh. DefRev would certainly like to be present with our own camcorder at any such demonstration of the technology. That would go a long way at assuaging our natural skepticism.  In the meantime, we'd at least like to obtain some high-quality video footage of STS in action.

 
And here's the kicker: STS is shockingly lightweight, according to the company. When Defense Review asked the inventor, Dr. Rashid Zeineh (a.k.a. Dr. Z) how much weight STS would add to an iRobot PackBot UGV (Unmmaned Ground Vehicle)/Robot or Foster-Miller Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System) UGV, he replied "Less than 2 lbs. That's as specific as I want to be." We should note that we pressed Dr. Zeineh for further exposition on this statement, but he didn't crack.

It should perhaps be noted that the AAE literature also states that STS is viable for EOD operations (Explosive Ordnance Disposal operations), specifically with regard to IED (Improvised Explosive Device) neutralization missions, and can mitigate the threat of death by RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade).

Current tentative pricing for the system with On/Off switch are as follows: $1600 per warfighter (person), $2,800 per dog, $29,000 per HMMWV (Humvee, a.k.a. Hummer), $49,000 per APC (Stryker, M113 Gavin, etc.) or tank (M1A2 Abrams MBT), and $59,000 per speed boat.
 
 Right-Click here and then click on "Save Target As" (Microsoft Internet Explorer) or "Save Link As" (Mozilla Firefox) to read the latest AAE Stealth Technology System (STS) fact sheet titled Reducing American IED Casualties in Iraq by Visibility-Stealth Concealment of Vehicles (title corrected for syntax). This is the version that disusses both STS' "Visibility-Stealth" AND "IR-Stealth" capabilities, and contains 14 photos (more photos than have ever been shown before) of the technology at work.
 
Stealth Technology System (STS) you can contact Advanced American Enterprises (AAE) by phone at 714-287-0490, by fax at 714-870-6385, or by email at aab@ix.netcom.com.

About the Author: David Crane is a military defense industry analyst and consultant, and the owner/editor-in-chief of DefenseReview.com. He can be contacted by phone at 305-389-1721, or via email at david@defensereview.com
 

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

MORE VIEWS OF THESE PLANES

 

Top secret stealth jet revealed

NOTE: This is NOT the aircraft I saw.

The Bird of Prey has a wing span of 7.0 metres and a
length of 14.3 m (Image: Boeing)

 

  • 15:19 21 October 2002
  • NewScientist.com news service
  • David Windle
 
The aircraft has been revealed but the stealth technologies remain secret (Image: Boeing)

A formerly top secret, bat-winged stealth jet has taken the aviation world by surprise, after a low key unveiling in St Louis, Missouri.

It may look like it flew straight off the screen of a sci-fi movie, but the Bird of Prey is no flight of fancy - it could translate into serious business for its makers, aerospace giant Boeing.

"Here we have an example of a classic 'black' programme: an aircraft which has been built and flight tested for a number of years - and no one outside the programme knew about it," says Nick Cook, aerospace consultant to Janes Defence Weekly. Other highly classified aircraft that have ultimately been revealed included the U-2 and Blackbird spy planes and the B-2 stealth bomber.

The Bird of Prey cost $67 million and is the product of Boeing's advanced research and development division, the Phantom Works. It first flew in 1996 and is said to have demonstrated a range of stealth and production technologies.

Agile and stealthy

It is a single seat, single engine design and with a reported maximum altitude of 6100 metres (20,000 feet). Its top speed is a relatively sedate 480 km/h (300 mph).

The unconventional configuration of the Bird of Prey suggests it has been designed to be highly agile and stealthy. But even though the aircraft itself has been revealed to the public, the stealth systems designed to suppress acoustic, infra-red, radar and even visual signatures are likely to be as highly classified as ever.

Sources suggest they may include active camouflage systems to reduce visibility by using panels or coatings that change colour or luminosity. This could allow safe combat missions in daylight, rather than being restricted to night flying. "And that would represent a revolutionary milestone in aerial warfare," says Cook.

It is known that such technologies have been studied for several years, most probably at the remote test site in the Nevada desert near Groom Lake, better known as Area 51. This was also the probable location for the Bird of Prey's 38 test flights.

You can view video of the Bird of Prey in flight here (.mov, 13Mb) or here (.mpg, 50Mb) (hosted by Boeing)

A key aspect of the project was that the aircraft would be inexpensive to build. Phantom Works engineers say they used disposable tooling and 3-D virtual reality for its design and assembly.

It has not been confirmed whether the Bird of Prey was ultimately intended to be manned or unmanned. But the aircraft has clearly had a major influence in the design of Boeing's unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, the X-45. Two of these pilotless combat planes are currently undergoing test flights.

Armed UCAVs are among the hottest projects in military aviation, having the obvious advantage of not risking life, as well as being cheaper than manned aircraft.

Cook is not surprised that the Bird of Prey was at least initially a manned aircraft, as this helps gather performance data. "You may be sure that lessons learned from this programme will find their way into both manned and unmanned aircraft, not simply in terms of flight characteristics, but crucially in the method of design and production," he says. And any company that steals a lead on its UCAV competitors stands to win very lucrative development and production contracts in the future.


B-2 Stealth bomber as antigravity craft

by Richard Boylan, Ph.D.

Date: 09/20/97

Retired Air Force Colonel Donald Ware has passed on to me information from a three-star general he knows who revealed to him in July that "the new Lockheed-Martin space shuttle [National Space Plane] and the B-2 [Stealth bomber] both have electro-gravitic systems on board;" and that " this explains why our 21 Northrop B-2s cost about a billion dollars each." Thus, after taking off conventionally, the B-2 can switch to antigravity mode, and, I have heard, fly around the world without refueling.

Thus, the B-2 Spirit advanced bomber has hybrid propulsion and lift technologies, utilizing jet thrust for public take-offs and landings, to look conventional, but switching to antigravity mode for extended cruising range, for lightning-fast maneuverability, and for shrouding the airframe in invisibility (by having its local anti-gravity field bend space-time, and thus light, around the airframe). This "disappearance" from conventional 3-D space-time provides the B-2 with virtually undetectable infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures."

The unstable lift and forward-motion characteristics of the B-2's boomerang-like airframe are merely temporary, until it moves into antigravity mode, where independent field propulsion provides stability.

Further commentary, revealing that the government eventually plans to release antigravity technology publicly, is provided by Colonel Ware.
He says, "Apparently this highly-controlled military program was used to gain experience with 4th-density technology that may transform civil aviation, after all national leaders choose peace."

The Colonel thus is suggesting that the Black Projects units behind this antigravity craft are going to share their technology with everyone, once North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Iranian President Ahmadinejad settle down.

But the Cabal organization hoarding antigravity technology actually will share antigravity technology only when pigs fly. And the pigs will have to do so without the highly-classified electrogravitic technological asssistance.

Richard Boylan, Ph.D.

Dr. Richard Boylan is a behavioral scientist, university instructor, certified
clinical hypnotherapist, and researcher into extraterrestrial-human encounters.
Richard Boylan, Ph.D., LLC, Post Office Box 22310, Sacramento,
California 95822, United States of America. Phone: (916) 422-7400 (PDT)

E-mail: drboylan@sbcglobal.net WEBSITE: http://www.drboylan.com
 


Publication Number:    WO/2003/098739    International Application No.:    PCT/SE2003/000705
Publication Date: 27.11.2003 International Filing Date: 30.04.2003
Int. Class.: B64C 1/00 (2006.01), F41H 3/00 (2006.01)
Applicants: SAAB AB [SE/SE]; S-581 88 Linköping (SE) (All Except US).
BJERKEMO, Jakob [SE/SE]; Havregatan 11 A, S-582 53 Linköping (SE) (US Only).
Inventor: BJERKEMO, Jakob [SE/SE]; Havregatan 11 A, S-582 53 Linköping (SE).
Agent: OLSSON, Jan; Bjerkéns Patentbyrå KB, Box 1274, S-801 37 Gävle (SE).
Priority Data:
0201460-3   15.05.2002   SE
Title: STEALTH CRAFT
 
Abstract:  
The invention relates to a stealth craft having several essentially plane external surfaces (13a-d), at least some of these external surfaces being arranged to incline towards each other so as to meet in an outer edge (12). The outer edge (12) is divided into at least a first outer edge section (12a) and a second outer edge section (12b), which first and second outer edge sections (12a, 12b) extend along a respective essentially straight line as seen in a lateral view of the craft, at least one part of the first outer edge section (12a) and one part of the second outer edge section (12b) forming part of an outer periphery line (18) of the craft as seen in a planar view of the craft from the upside or underside of the craft. A first point (16a) of the first outer edge section (12a) is connected to a second point (16b) of the second outer edge section (12b) via a fold (17) arranged in the exterior of the craft, said points (16a, 16b) being located on mutually different levels as seen in a direction perpendicular to said planar view.
 

F-117

The unique design of the single-seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. About the size of an F-15 Eagle, the twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. Air refuelable, it supports worldwide commitments and adds to the deterrent strength of the U.S. military forces.

Constructed primarily of aluminum, the F-117A's fuselage comprises flat panels known as facets mounted on the aircraft's subframe, their purpose being to reflect radar energy away from the transmitter itself, thus denying the operators a visible 'return'. All surfaces are coated with various radar absorbent materials. All doors and panels have serrated edges to further minimize radar reflection. Grid covers on the intakes and the use of narrow-slot 'platypus' exhausts surrounded by heat-absorbing tiles further reduce the chances of IR detection. Ahead of the flat-plate five-piece cockpit glazing is a FLIR sensor, recessed in a mesh-covered housing; in the forward starboard underfuselage there is a retractable DLIR and laser designator. These sensors are used in conjunction with LGBs, two of which can be carried in the double-section weapons bay.

The Lockheed F-117A was developed in response to an Air Force request for an aircraft capable of attacking high value targets without being detected by hostile radar systems. By the 1970s, special materials and techniques had become available to aircraft designers that would allow them to design an aircraft with radar-evading or "stealth" qualities. Streamlined management by Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, combined breakthrough stealth technology with concurrent development and production to rapidly field the aircraft.

The first F-117A was delivered in 1982, and the last delivery was in the summer of 1990. The F-117A production decision was made in 1978 with a contract awarded to Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, the "Skunk Works," in Burbank, Calif. The first flight was in 1981, only 31 months after the full-scale development decision. Lockheed-Martin delivered 59 stealth fighters to the Air Force between August 1982 and July 1990. Five additional test aircraft belong to the company.

Air Combat Command's only F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group, achieved operational capability in October 1983. Since the F-117’s first Air Force flight in 1982, the aircraft has flown under different unit designations, including the 4450th Tactical Group and the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Tonapah Test Range, NV; the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Nellis AFB, NV; the 410th Flight Test Squadron/410th Test Squadron, Palmdale, CA; and Detachment 1, Test Evaluation Group, also at Holloman, which falls under the 53rd Wing, Eglin AFB, FL.

The stealth fighter emerged from the classified world while stationed at Tonapah Airfield with an announcement by the Pentagon in November 1988 and was first shown publicly at Nellis in April 1990. The 4450th TG was deactivated in October 1989, and was reactivated as the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing.

In 1992 the F-117A Nighthawk made its new home at Holloman Air Force Base. The official arrival ceremony for the F-117 to Holloman AFB was conducted 09 May 1992. The 49th Fighter Wing (49FW) at Holloman serves as the only F-117 Home Station. The 49th Operations Group operates and maintains the F-117A aircraft. The 7th CTS "Screamin' Demons" serves as the transition training unit, preparing experienced Air Force pilots for assignment to the F-117A Nighthawk. The 8th and 9th Fighter Squadrons are designated to employ the F-117A Nighthawk in combat. Once an F-117 pilot has successfully completed training, he is then assigned to one of only two operational Nighthawk squadrons--the 8th FS "Black Sheep" and the 9th FS "Flying Knights." The 49FW provides full compliment of flightline maintenance capabilities as well as back-shop support. The F-117 deploys in support of contingency operations, as directed by National Command Authorities. Flightline maintenance support is deployed concurrent with the aircraft. Depending on the deployment duration, varying levels of back shop maintenance support may also be deployed.

The F-117A first saw action in December 1989 during Operation Just Cause in Panama. On 20 December 1989 pilots of the two F-117As flew to Rio Hato, Panama, to drop one 2,000-pound bomb each within 150 yards of the PDF’s 6th and 7th Rifle Company barracks to stun and confuse the occupants just before Rangers of Task Force RED parachuted into the area. Upon reaching the target area, the pilots encountered high winds coming from an unanticipated direction. The lead pilot swung to the left, and dropped his payload only sixty yards away from the barracks that was supposed to be the near target of the pilot in the second aircraft. Keying on the first pilot, the second pilot dropped his bomb further to the left, up to three hundred yards away from the target that had been originally assigned to the lead pilot. Despite the error, the bombs exploded precisely where aimed and momentarily stunned the PDF troops occupying the barracks.

The stealth fighter attacked the most heavily fortified targets during Desert Storm (January-February 1991), and it was the only coalition jet allowed to strike targets inside Baghdad's city limits. The F-117A, which normally packs a payload of two 2,000-pound GBU-27 laser-guided bombs, destroyed and crippled Iraqi electrical power stations, military headquarters, communications sites, air defense operation centers, airfields, ammo bunkers, and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons plants.

Although only 36 stealth fighters were deployed in Desert Storm and accounted for 2.5 percent of the total force of 1,900 fighters and bombers, they flew more than a third of the bombing runs on the first day of the war. In all during Desert Storm, the stealth fighter conducted more than 1,250 sorties, dropped more than 2,000 tons of bombs, and flew more than 6,900 hours. More than 3,000 antiaircraft guns and 60 surface-to-air missile batteries protected the city, but despite this seemingly impenetrable shield, the Nighthawks owned the skies over the city and, for that matter, the country. The stealth fighter, which is coated with a secret, radar-absorbent material, operated over Iraq and Kuwait with impunity, and was unscathed by enemy guns.

In response to a real world crisis, the wing’s F-117s began a deployment to Kuwait in November 1998, reaching an intermediate point in Europe before being turned around and sent back to Holloman.

In the opening phase of Allied Force, aimed primarily at Yugoslavia's integrated air defense system, NATO air forces conducted more than 400 sorties. During the first two night attacks, allied troops in the air and at sea struck 90 targets throughout Yugoslavia and in Kosovo. F-117 Nighthawks from the 8th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base NM participated in air strikes against targets in the Balkans during NATO operations. The wing deployed 25 F-117A Nighthawks and more than 550 people to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of the air operation. F-117s flew combat missions against the most highly defended, high value targets throughout the 78-day air campaign, including first-night attacks.

One F-117 fighter was lost over Yugoslavia on 27 March 1999. A US search and rescue team picked up the pilot several hours after the F-117 went down outside Belgrade.

An Air Force F-117A Nighthawk from the 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, N.M., crashed 7 miles south of Zuni, New Mexico, 10 May 1995. The pilot, Capt. Kenneth W. Levens, 9th Fighter Squadron, was killed in the crash. The stealth was on a training mission when the accident occurred.

The F-117A had an excellent year during FY96. There were no Class A's, only one Class B, and four Class C mishaps. This is an impressive record. The Class B resulted from a failed power takeoff (PTO) shaft. The pilot did an excellent job of determining the proper emergency procedures to follow and recovered a valuable national resource. The Class C mishaps involved a misrouted cross-bleed detector loop, failed oil pressure transducer, damage to a UHF antenna which occurred during air refueling, and failure of the right main landing gear upper scissor link.

From a historical perspective, by the end of 1996 there had been three Class A and three Class B mishaps in the F-117 world. This total included only those mishaps since the aircraft officially came into the Air Force inventory. The Class A's include a bleed air leak which eventually caused the pilot to eject, an engine fire due to an engine manifold leak, and failure to recover from an unusual attitude. The Class B's include a brake failure on landing roll which caused damage upon barrier engagement, a lost canopy during flight, and the failed PTO shaft.

Air Combat Command’s 1996 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year was Master Sgt. Richard Acevedo. An 18-year veteran, Acevedo was the resource advisor for the 49th Maintenance Squadron, Holloman AFB, NM. Acevedo contributed to a 60 percent increase in the F-117A mission capable rate over the previous two years and reduced F-117A flight control computer testing and repair cycle time from 40 to three hours. He also managed the squadron’s 517 Government American Express accounts and funds for 44 temporary duty assignments. His efforts with the Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center provided advanced training to Holloman members on Inertial Navigation System (INS) test station maintenance, saving the wing $123,300. He personally supervised dual-intensity modification on 26 F-117A display indicators with new checkout procedures, completing critical mission-essential time-change directives two months ahead of schedule.

In an effort to improve the combat effectiveness of the stealth fighter, test experts from the F-117 Combined Test Force at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., are working to expand what it brings to the fight. On April 2 2002, developmental test experts in Palmdale teamed up with their operational counterparts from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to complete the second phase of a demonstration project designed to provide the F-117 and its pilots with the ability to receive and transmit mission and target data in real-time from the air. Phase one tests, completed in October of 1998, allowed a pilot to receive live-threat information and manually replan a mission from the cockpit. The second phase completed the test cycle by demonstrating the transmission of real-time mission and target data out of the cockpit and into the hands of command and control forces on the ground.

Until this testing, the potential time-critical combat capabilities of the F-117 had not been explored. The target data technology works by allowing the aircraft to receive and transmit tactical information on targets or pop-up threats via satellite communication. The fighter's ability to send and receive text and images enhances its combat flexibility yet does not compromise its stealth configuration.

The fleet of F-117As has been refurbished, including removing the aging thin films and coatings and replacing them with a special radar-absorbent paint that is easier and less expensive to apply and maintain. During manufacture, the thin films and coatings of radar-absorbent materials were painstakingly applied to each F-117A to ensure that no defects existed. Any slight deviation from the Nighthawk's exacting surface specifications -- even an air bubble or a screw not tightened exactly to specifications -- could result in a blip on an enemy's radar screen. The new painting process is no less exacting.

Nighthawks are large aircraft -- 65 feet long with a 43-foot wing span -- and each F-117A is slightly different from the others. The Nighthawk's angularity and the need to keep the paint spray nozzles at exactingly precise distances from the aircraft's surface at all times require both accuracy and adaptability to adjust for variabilities from one aircraft to another. Maintenance downtime for the F-117As needs to be minimized so that each fighter is available for military operations as soon as possible.

The first Nighthawk to be refurbished with the new coating was done manually by five painters and a masking crew, and took 4 and a half days. A Sandia National Laboratories development team created the system concept, identified the needed hardware, wrote the custom software that operates the system, and integrated the system's commercial and noncommercial components as part of a 3-year development project.

The first challenge in designing the automated painting system was to find a robot or robots big enough to reach all of the plane's surfaces. To keep costs down, the design team used commercially available equipment as much as possible. The Sandia painting system features three commercial robotic arms used in U.S. auto factories called the Motoman P8. Two of the arms are mounted on 30-foot-long rails. Each 10,000-lb robot-and-rail system is mounted on a specially designed air lift so that two people can move its base to desired locations around the aircraft. A paint nozzle at the end of each of the robotic arms is connected via tubes and wiring to an oversized stainless steel paint can. The coating-delivery system -- the paint nozzles, tubes, pumps, and cans -- is also a Sandia creation. One robot-rail combo paints the Nighthawk's top surfaces; the second paints the bottom surfaces. Cameras and other sensors help a nearby computer plan and guide the robots' every move. This merging of commercial hardware with Sandia-designed custom hardware and software exemplifies Sandia's unique system integration capabilities. The third floor-mounted, stationary robot is for painting the Nighthawk's removable parts, such as weapon bay doors and rudders.

The Sandia team developed a unique feedback, path-planning system that adjusts for variabilities from aircraft to aircraft. Path planning is the fruit of Sandia's years of research in "geometric reasoning," which was developed using DOE Defense Programs and Lab-Directed research funding. Geometric reasoning gives robots the capability to automatically determine the movements needed to carry out the task, even if the workpiece varies from piece to piece, as do the F-117As. A pair of stereovision cameras mounted at the end of the robotic arms locate "landmarks" on an F-117A corresponding to vertices where a Nighthawk's angular facets meet. Based on this feedback about the unique geometry of each plane and information about the robot's reach, joint limits, characteristics of the painting process and other factors, the software automatically generates a path for the robot to follow as it paints. The system also ensures that the robotic arms don't violate a 6-inch buffer zone around the fighter. The motion-planning software is what allows Sandia to rapidly and inexpensively develop robot systems for small-lot production operations like painting a limited number of aircraft.

To design the system, Sandia used a 3-D computer model of the F-117A provided by Lockheed Martin. Models permit the team to use Sandia's geometric reasoning software to perform a "reachability analysis" of the F-117A, which helped determine where the system's two robot-and-rail systems would have to be repositioned on the hangar floor to reach the entire aircraft.

Before painting begins and each time a robot-and-rail system is moved during painting, the computer vision system automatically registers reference points corresponding to three jack stands the Nighthawk is placed on inside the hangar. It then measures the precise locations of the two robot-and-rail systems with respect to the aircraft. With almost human-like agility, the rail-mounted robotic arms move with seven degrees of freedom. Six of those are the three spatial dimensions (x, y, and z) plus roll, pitch, and yaw, which is normal for many manufacturing-type robots. The seventh degree of freedom gives the robot the ability to maintain a fixed x, y, z, roll, pitch, and yaw position from multiple poses. This is like having an "extra elbow" to reach around things that are in the way. It also gives a large range of motion along the 30-foot rail required to coat a large aircraft.

The system was delivered to Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Projects group, better known as the "Skunk Works," in September 1998. Members of the Sandia team helped install and acceptance-test the system during the following five months. Safety precautions are incorporated into the system and personnel are trained in robot awareness. In terms of size and level of complexity, this was the largest intelligent system Sandia has ever delivered to an outside customer.

Whereas the first aircraft was refurbished using five painters and a masking crew taking four and a half days, the first robotically painted aircraft at the Skunk Works took only three days with a smaller crew. Once it is in a production mode, the system will provide considerable cost and time savings to the Air Force. The new system also improved the final finish quality and reduce maintenance costs by minimizing the amount of time spent painting and reworking each aircraft. Signature testing was performed on the robot-sprayed aircraft and the results were significantly better than expected.

The Air Force, on 30 September 1998, awarded Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (LMSW) a sole source, Total System Performance Responsibility (TSPR) depot-level acquisition and sustainment weapon system support contract for the F-117 Stealth Fighter that provides stable logistics support into the next decade. This contract, beginning 1 October 98, continues the logistics support necessary to fulfill the weapon system mission, ensure combat capability and provide services presently performed by LMSW, breakout contractors and the System Program Office (SPO). This contract includes all support functions with the exception of Intermediate and Organizational maintenance.

The original concept for F-117 was for a Contractor Logistics Supported weapons system with a small SPO to oversee necessary government functions. Accomplishment of Program Management Responsibility Transfer (PMRT), in October 1989, moved the SPO from Wright-Patterson to the Sacramento Air Logistics command (SM-ALC). The ALC began the process of breaking out subcontractors and increasing technical oversight, generating considerable duplication of effort. All hardware, item management and distribution functions transferred to Sacramento creating a "third leg" in the weapon system support pipeline. SPO size ultimately increased to 226 providing sustaining management and contractor oversight.

LMSW presently provides 75% of the core sustaining for the F-117. All technical support is conducted under the annual sustaining contract and individual upgrade programs. LMSW also operates the modification/depot line at Site 7, AF Plant 42. These core capabilities provide a solid foundation for effectively increasing the LMSW Program Management role. TSPR expands LMSW responsibilities in the areas of system engineering, material management, subcontractor management, system & subsystem support, direct support to the user and AF reporting requirements. The majority of tasks scheduled to transition from the SPO are items already performed at LMSW. Government responsibilities will continue to include program direction, requirement determination, contract management, business/financial execution, product/service acceptance and security. The SPO size is targeted to reach 55 people by the end of FY99 with a goal of 20 by FY01 as LMSW demonstrates support capability. The TSPR contract will return the F-117 to the original concept -- Contractor Logistics Support with LMSW as the prime system integrator and a small SPO providing oversight capacity.

F-117 TSPR offers an incentive package to assure performance while encouraging the contractor to reduce costs. The contract will have a 3% Award Fee provision for subjective evaluation of technical, management, subcontracting and customer satisfaction. Grading is based on input from all aspects of the government including the SPO, ACC, the 49th Fighter Wing (FW) at Holloman AFB, DLA and DCMC. A 7% Incentive Fee provision based on seven performance metrics will track Non-Mission Capable Supply, MICAP rates, Readiness Spares Provisioning (RSP) Kit fill rates, Depot Quality, Depot Delivery, Delinquent Deficiency Reports and Weapons System Trainer Availability. All items are currently tracked by the 49th FW and SPO and are considered the most important indicators of program support. Finally, TSPR provides for 50/50 cost share between the government and LMSW on any under run with no ceiling. A minimum performance of 50% on metrics is necessary to receive any additional fee. Overruns are also shared 50/50 to the maximum of the Award and Incentive fees combined.

F-117 TSPR has been identified as a pilot program for the Air Force and DoD. This small fleet of 52 aircraft, located at a single operating location at Holloman AFB, offers a unique opportunity for the Air Force and LMSW to continue the F-117’s excellent program health. Timing for this transition is optimum due to the BRAC decision to close McClellan AFB, current location of the F-117 SPO. LMSW, as system integrator, will compensate for anticipated SPO program experience loss and complement a significantly downsized SPO with resident expertise. TSPR represents a departure from "business as usual" as it allows LMSW the flexibility required to manage sustaining funds, as appropriate, over the eight years of the contract with no degradation of the total program support posture. The contract makes LMSW accountable for complete weapons system support. TSPR challenges the company to provide support to the 49th FW that is "equal to or better than" current levels while reducing Total Ownership Cost to the US Air Force.

The F-117 program is the Air Force’s most complete application of Acquisition Reform initiatives and is successfully being operated with reduced government oversight. The program was implemented with a significantly reduced Air Force support capitol investment. The commitment of the Air Force to a long-term supplier relationship has allowed for optimal contractor investment.

A member of the 49th Fighter Wing made aviation history 02 November 1995 when he became the first operational Air Force pilot to log 1,000 hours in the F-117A Nighthawk. Lt. Col. Greg Feest, 9th Fighter Squadron commander, is a senior pilot with 3,350 total hours in the F-117, F-15, A-7 and AT-38, including 130 combat flying hours in the F-117.

On 21 November 1997, Major Ward Juedeman (Bandit 11) was returning to base from an F-117A day surface attack tactics training mission with approximately 15 minutes of fuel remaining. Maj Juedeman reported initial and set up for his base turn. After lowering the gear handle, Maj Juedeman noted that he only had a nose and right main gear down and locked indication with a red light in the handle. He quickly tested the lights, which checked good, and proceeded to break out of the overhead pattern leaving the gear down. Maj Juedeman declared an emergency, switched to the single frequency approach, and requested a safety chase. Since no other aircraft were airborne, the supervisor of flying immediately launched a T-38A that was taxiing for takeoff. After rejoining with the safety chase, Maj Juedeman was informed that the nose and right main gear were indeed down and locked with the left main gear up and the gear door closed. Referencing the checklist, Maj Juedeman attempted to raise the landing gear, but neither gear moved, leaving the aircraft in a configuration which recommends ejection. Maj Juedeman put the gear handle back down with no effect, and then attempted to lower the gear using the landing gear emergency extension system. After approximately 5 seconds the left main gear unlocked, deployed by gravity and air loads, and appeared to lock into place. Maj Juedeman then flew a flawless straight-in approach and landing.

An Air Force F-117A Nighthawk crashed 14 September 1997 while performing a fly-by demonstration for an airshow at Martin State Airport, 12 miles northeast of Baltimore. The pilot, Maj. Bryan Knight, safely ejected. He suffered minor injuries. Four people on the ground were injured and 10 families displaced by the crash, which caused extensive fire damage to several homes and vehicles. There were no fatalities or serious injuries. The aircraft had just completed its third pass of an air show flyover at Martin State Airport near Baltimore. The pilot was initiating his climb out for departure when he felt the aircraft shudder and the left wing broke off. The accident investigation report concluded that the cause of the accident was structural failure of a support assembly, known as the Brooklyn Bridge, in the left wing due to four missing fasteners of the 39 in the assembly. The Brooklyn Bridge assembly was apparently improperly reinstalled during a scheduled periodic inspection in Jan. 1996. The entire fleet of 53 F-117 Nighthawks was inspected during a command-directed precautionary stand down and none were found to have the same defect.

The F-117 stealth fighter completed flying its 150,000 flying hour when Brig. Gen. Bill Lake, 49th Fighter Wing commander, touched down on Holloman's runway 25 August 1998. The flying milestone was measured from the first F-117 flight by Lockheed Martin test pilot Hal Farley on June 18, 1981. The first Air Force pilot to fly the F-117 was then Maj. Al Whitley on Oct. 15, 1982.

The F-117A program has demonstrated that a stealth aircraft can be designed for reliability and maintainability. The aircraft maintenance statistics are comparable to other tactical fighters of similar complexity. Logistically supported by Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan AFB, Calif., the F-117A is kept at the forefront of technology through a planned weapon system improvement program located at USAF Plant 42 at Palmdale, Calif. The F-117A Combined Test Force is a diverse organization that includes military members, government civilians and various contractors who work together to test the latest F-117 improvements. The test force works out of U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif, just south of Edwards. As a reflection of the Nighthawk itself, the F-117A Combined Test Force maintained a stealthy profile when it first began testing the revolutionary plane.

A recent CTF project involved testing an improved navigation system for the F-117A. Now operational, that system is a prerequisite on all deployed F-117As. The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works delivered the first F-117A configured with a new navigation system to the 49th Fighter Wing in January 1997. Dubbed "RNIP-Plus," the Ring Laser Gyro/Global Positioning System Navigation Improvement Program reduces the drift pilots experience during flight. Drift is when an aircraft's navigation system wanders off its intended flight path -- a computer problem in the older Inertial Navigation Systems. Not only does the RNIP-Plus boost navigation, it also strengthens the F-117A's targeting capability. The configuration includes a new control display navigation unit in the cockpit allowing the pilot to quickly reference and check flight data. The control display also collects and stores maintenance data on the INS and GPS, a plus for post-mission maintenance.

In another recent project, F-117A experts tested a real-time information into the cockpit capability for the Nighthawk that will now allow real-time communication with the outside world while the plane is in stealth mode. This capability includes integration of a new real-time symmetric multi-processor, which allows onboard mission planning at faster computation times than current ground mission planning. If this new technology is put into the aircraft, the pilot will have the ability to adjust his mission based on changing threats and targets, a capability previously unavailable.

The Advanced Composites Program Office (ACO) at Hill AFB led an in-house effort to reduce cost of ownership of F-117A composite structures. As a high-usage trailing-edge component, the 20D82 is required to endure high temperatures from the engine exhaust. Problems with this component included short service-life, high cost, poor fit, large part-to-part variances, and lack of repair procedures. The latter forced the Air Force to replace the component at a cost of $46,400 per item until effective field and depot level repair procedures were developed by the ACO, working with the F-117A System Program Manager (SPM) and SM-ALC/TIM composite manufacturing personnel. Each component repair costs approximately $4,200. After providing a repair, the team set out to totally redesign the troublesome component. They were able to simplify the design, increase service temperature capability, maintain low observable requirements, and reduce the assembly part count from fifteen to six. The cost of the redesigned component is half of the original cost for twice the capability.

The Single Configuration Fleet (SCF) program is intended to reduce the total ownership costs of the F-117 by standardizing the fleet to a single optimized spray/sheet coating and edge configuration. The Single Configuration Fleet modification consolidates the existing seven different F-117 radar-absorbing material configurations into one optimized for maintainability and deployability. This will reduce LO maintenance requirements and take advantage of state-of-the-art robotic technology. The F-117's low-observable features have always been costly and difficult to maintain because of the various radar-absorbing material configurations. To correct this, the Single Configuration Fleet modification consolidates the existing seven different radar-absorbing material configurations into one optimized for maintainability and deployability.

The modification, entailing stripping and re-coating the entire F-117 fleet, replaces the sheet-coated RAM on the wings, rudders and fuselage and uses a precise robotic process to apply a RAM coating to almost 75 percent of the airframe, he said. These areas which are never accessed for maintenance will require virtually no future RAM repairs. Areas that are frequently accessed will have removable RAM sheets applied to the maintenance panels. The new spray-coated RAM is much more durable than previous versions of sheet-coating. This will result in the new (Single Configuration Fleet) aircraft requiring fewer RAM repairs. The optimized configuration provides maintainers easy access to maintenance panels while eliminating the need to repair infrequently accessed areas.

The biggest advantages of the new standardized configuration, for maintainers and the Air Force, will be common repair procedures and materials for all F-117s. Currently, with so many configurations, there are numerous repair procedures and materials. Maintainers must keep track of which procedures and materials belong to which aircraft. Maintaining the aircraft will be much easier once the entire fleet undergoes its modification. The Air Force should also see a 50 percent reduction in the size of our technical order -- the manual airmen must follow step-by-step when working on aircraft maintenance.

The new modification also will greatly reduce the amount of hardware and other supplies that units will need when they deploy to forward locations. The Air Force will be able to phase out a number of materials leading to further cost savings in the logistics and materiel management. Based on flight test results and an initial operational evaluation, the new SCF configuration will reduce maintenance manhours per flying hour due to (RAM) maintenance by over 50 percent. Since low observability is the primary maintenance driver for the F-117, the SCF improvements will indirectly improve sortie generation capability. Additionally, once SCF is implemented in the entire F-117 fleet, the annual consumable material costs will be reduced from the current level of $14.5 million to approximately $6.9 million.

The modification is being implemented on a five-year schedule as the F-117s are rotated through the contractor depot at Palmdale, CA. To make best use of this time, the Air Force is also implementing numerous other F-117 modifications and repairs. The entire process takes approximately five months for each aircraft. The first completed production aircraft to undergo the modification was delivered to Holloman in April 2000. Holloman is the only base in the Air Force that flies the F-117.

With a goal to obtain MK-84 and BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munitions weapons certification for the F-117A Nighthawk aircraft, the Seek Eagle Office at Eglin AFB, Fla., sponsored a weapons separation test in AEDC's 4-foot transonic aerodynamic wind tunnel. Additional test customers included Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, manufacturer of the F-117A, and Boeing, St. Louis, manufacturer of the JDAM weapons system.

Lockheed-Martin Aero modifies nine F-117 aircraft per year at its Palmdale facility. The Air Force thinking is that it will phase out the Nighthawks after 2018.


US Deploying 15 Stealth Bombers to S. Korea, N. Korea says nuclear war preparations
By: Afp, Korea Times on: 02.06.2005 [12:04 ]

North Korea on Thursday said the deployment of 15 US F-117 Stealth bombers to South Korea was part of preparations for a preemptive nuclear strike on the country.

Last February, the U.S. deployed B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and F-15E fighter jets in Guam, the range to strike North Korea's nuclear facilities in case of an emergency, according to the Stars and Stripes, a U.S. army newspaper published in Seoul.

The Pentagon also plans to introduce two Aegis-equipped warships in Japan this summer. Currently, the U.S. military runs five Aegis-equipped vessels in the East Sea
 

 
From Todd Madson
crash@waste.org
10-10-2
 
Regarding the pictures of an alleged Aurora/Stealth aircraft that had pictures that were purported to be from a chinese website.
 
It looks a little bit too much like the plane posited by Bill Sweetman in his book: "Aurora: the Pentagon's Hypersonic Spyplane"
 
In fact, it looks so much like Sweetman's design that one wonders if it might not be a model someone built and is flying via remote control and was photographed on the ground which might explain why the landing gear is in a down position.
 
If, for whatever reason the picture is of a real flying aircraft one ponders where the pictures were taken. The top two photos are sort of
grainy and lack detail but the bottom two are sharper which leads me to believe it might be a hoax of some kind, or someones well meaning expose of the "real deal" albeit in the form of a flying model aircraft a hobbyist/enthusiast put together.
 
Ultimately, if it does come to light that it's the real deal you might wonder if Bill Sweetman can get some compensation - if they copied his design to make a real aircraft it's either imitation as the sincerest form of flattery or Sweetman is unknowingly psychic.
 
 
Comment - From Carlino Pellegrini
10-10-2
 
Regarding the recent story about the possible pictures of the Aurora or new stealth it seems that this craft looks like the plans for the Aurora seen on FAS.org and elsewhere. I for one would certainly be interested in finding out more about these pictures- who took them, where exactly did they originate, etc. To my knowledge no known pictures of the Aurora have made it into the public domain and this may be the first.(?) I hope to see some follow-up on this one!
 
Thanks for the great work,
Carlino

FROM: rense.com


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.

Does the United States Air Force or one of America's intelligence agencies have a secret hypersonic aircraft capable of a Mach 6 performance? Continually growing evidence suggests that the answer to this question is yes. Perhaps the most well-known event which provides evidence of such a craft's existence is the sighting of a triangular plane over the North Sea in August 1989 by oil-exploration engineer Chris Gibson. As well as the famous "skyquakes" heard over Los Angeles since the early 1990s, found to be heading for the secret Groom Lake installation in the Nevada desert, numerous other facts provide an understanding of how the aircraft's technology works. Rumored to exist but routinely denied by U.S. officials, the name of this aircraft is Aurora.

The outside world uses the name Aurora because a censor's slip let it appear below the SR-71 Blackbird and U-2 in the 1985 Pentagon budget request. Even if this was the actual name of the project, it would have by now been changed after being compromised in such a manner. The plane's real name has been kept a secret along with its existence. This is not unfamiliar though, the F-117a stealth fighter was kept a secret for over ten years after its first pre-production test flight. The project is what is technically known as a Special Access Program (SAP). More often, such projects are referred to as "black programs". So what was the first sign of the existence of such an aircraft? On 6 March 1990, one of the United States Air Force's Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spyplanes shattered the official air speed record from Los Angeles to Washington's Dulles Airport. There, a brief ceremony marked the end of the SR-71's operational career. Officially, the SR-71 was being retired to save the $200-$300 million a year it cost to operate the fleet. Some reporters were told the plane had been made redundant by sophisticated spy satellites. But there was one problem, the USAF made no opposition towards the plane's retirement, and congressional attempts to revive the program were discouraged. Never in the history of the USAF had a program been closed without opposition. Aurora is the missing factor to the silent closure of the SR-71 program. Testing such a new radical aircraft brings immense costs and inconvenience, not just in the design and development of a prototype aircraft, but also in providing a secret testing place for aircraft that are obviously different from those the public are aware of.

Groom Dry Lake, in the Nevada desert, is home to one of America's elite secret proving grounds. Here is Aurora's most likely test location. Comparing today's Groom Lake with images of the base in the 1970s, it is apparent that many of the larger buildings and hangars were added during the following decade. Also, the Groom Lake test facility has a lake-bed runway that is six miles long, twice as long as the longest normal runways in the United States. The reason for such a long runway is simple: the length of a runway is determined either by the distance an aircraft requires to accelerate to flying speed, or the distance that the aircraft needs to decelerate after landing. That distance is proportional to the speed at which lift-off takes place. Usually, very long runways are designed for aircraft with very high minimum flying speeds, and, as is the case at Edwards AFB, these are aircraft that are optimized for very high maximum speeds. Almost 25,000 feet of the runway at Groom Lake is paved for normal operations.

Lockheed's Skunk Works, now the Lockheed Advanced Development Company, is the most likely prime contractor for the Aurora aircraft. Throughout the 1980s, financial analysts concluded that Lockheed had been engaged in several large classified projects. However, they weren't able to identify enough of them to account for the company's income. Technically, the Skunk Works has a unique record of managing large, high-risk programs under an incredible unparalleled secrecy. Even with high-risk projects the company has undertaken, Lockheed has a record of providing what it promises to deliver.

Model designer John Andrews of Testor, Corp. - a reputable plastic model company - believes that the code name Aurora is not one supersecret spyplane, but actually a system comprised of two or more aircraft. Andrews' SR-75 Penetrator model is based on sightings of an as-yet unidentified plane that many have three roles: (1) reconnaissance missions over highly defended areas; (2) airborne sensing of radioactive weapons materials; and (3) as a mothership that launches small satellites or a delta-shaped hypersonic daughtercraft from its back. The picture at the top of the page depicts an XR-7 Thunderdart riding "piggyback" on the SR-75. The Tunderdart uses a combination of jet and pulse-detonation wave engines to reach a never-before-achieved speed of Mach 7, or roughly 5,370 miles per hour. That's going from New York city to Los Angeles in twenty-seven point six minutes.

Technical sketch of XR-7 Thunderdart showing Pulse-Detonation Wave Engines


Triangular Craft Sighting
Date May 13, 2005
Location
Kirkland, Washington, United States

Summary: Perfect black triangle with 9 orange/yellowish lights on two sides of triangle, one on tip four following each leading edge, with none on stern/back end of triangle. The craft made barely, if any noise, and seemed to be defying the laws of gravity and aviation as it was floating and banking left

Source: Mr. Reboare / National UFO Reporting Center (Seattle)

As a former airline employee I was trained to identify incoming aircraft, determine their speed, and notify personnel to help marshal and tug aircraft to deplane passengers. I am also an artist and amateur photographer.

12:19AM May 13, 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Weather: Light stratus towards the West, clear towards the East
Light Pollution: moderate due to ambient light and humidity seemed high as stars were not well visible. The sky was one or two hues lighter than its normal black due to humidity and light pollution. My view of craft was 45 degrees up from terra facing due East.

Object: - Perfect black triangle with 9 orange/yellowish lights on two sides of triangle, one on tip four following each leading edge, with none on stern/back end of triangle. The color of the lights was a very light salmon/orange yellow. The lights glowed with barely detectible movement similar to air heating phenomena which you see on heated roadways, but in this case the area was confined to the lights themselves.


Observation of craft:
Discovered the craft due east in my field of view and the craft was traveling north. I estimate the craft was ¾ to 1 mile from my position. I estimated altitude 200-350 feet from ground traveling 70-110 knots “banking” (more like floating) towards the port/left. Craft leveled off traveling towards the NE and became undetectable as it became level, in perfect stealth. The craft seem to “float” like observed satellites float in an arc across the sky, but this craft floated in a straight line close the earth. The size of the craft was as big as a 747 or at least ¾ of a football field.

Personal notation:
I was going out to drop some recycling material at 12:18AM PST and heard or sensed something very subtle in the sky. Directly in front of me due East, I looked up 45 degrees and saw clearly a perfect black triangle. The craft had lights on two sides of it and they were no brighter than dim stars, but they were all uniformly spaced and of the same color. The craft was traveling north. I was dumbstruck as the craft made barely, if any noise, and seemed to be defying the laws of gravity and aviation as it was floating and banking left traveling towards the Northeast. I use the term “banking” lightly because it was not relying on the air to bank, it was more like it was just righting itself to level as it floated. I strained to hear anything and could not, but sensed great power or energy. I was amazed at the razor sharp edges of the triangle and was struck by the clarity of the salmon colored lights that ran up one side of the triangle leading edge and up the other side but not on the part of the triangle which was on the back. I remember thinking, those lights are designed to be subtle and not seen. I saw that the craft was leveling off and as soon as it did it completely disappeared.(This next part is based on human intuition and is understandably arbitrary) I remember thinking "ok, is that one of us?" but I didn't get the feeling that it was. Something didn't feel right. I felt like there were people onboard but the feeling I had was that they were super intelligent, like test pilots (I have an old acquaintance who was a test pilot and he was the smartest person I have ever met) but that they were with some power or government that superseded everything. I felt that the people onboard had a sort of clincal super intelligence, if a person can sense such things like this. That's just what I felt, I can't dismiss or excuse it.

My overall feeling was one of amazement, also a very ominous feeling which turned into excitement and fear.

Here’s the sad part of this… I had been doing night photography for the last couple of nights and had my digital camera ON.MY.NECK, but I knew that I couldn’t dig it out of it’s bag, power up, switch it to manual, turn the iso to max, the f-stop to max and a 1/3 second exposure, as I was wrapped up trying to soak in as much detail as possible. I just didn’t have time and I knew it instinctively.

--Mr. Reboare

--------------------------------------

From National UFO Reporting Center in Seattle:

As a former airline employee I was trained to identify incoming aircraft speed to notify personel to help marshall and tug aircraft to deplane passengers. I am also an amateur photographer.

12:19AM May 13, 2005 Location: ((address deleted)) Avenue by 124th Avenue, Kirkland, WA 98034 Weather: light stratus towards the west clear towards the east Light Pollution: moderate due to ambient light and humidity seemed high as stars were not well visible.

45 degrees up from terra facing due east est altitude 200-350 feet from ground travelling 70-110 knots banking towards the right levelling off towards NE becoming undetectable as it became level, perfect stealth.

Object: perfect black black triangle/ 7 lights on two angles of triangle, one on tip three following each leading edge,none on back end of triangle.

The color of the lights was a very light salmon/orange yellow. Lights glowed with barely detectible movement similar to air heating phenomena on heated roadways, but in this case the area was confined to the lights themselves Easy to track as it was banking to it's forward right edge. I had a clear view of the bottom of craft as it was banking but when it levelled out it was GONE/perfectly stealthy.

Personal notation: I was going out to drop some recycling material and heard or sensed something very subtle. I looked up towards the east and saw clearly a perfect black triangle which was travelling 45 degrees up from my view facing due east. I was dumbstruck as the craft made barely any noise, and seemed to be defying the laws of gravity and aviation as it was banking North east from my with no audible noise. I strained to hear anything and could not, but sensed great power or energy. I was amazed at the razor sharp edges of the triangle and was struck by the clarity of the salmon colored lights that ran up one side of the triangle leading edge and up the other side but not on the part of the triangle which was on the back.

I saw that the craft was leveling off and as soon as it did it completely disappeared.

My feeling was one of amazement, also a very ominous feeling which turned into excitement and fear.

((NUFORC Note: We have corresponded with, and spoken with via telephone, the witness, and he appears to us to be quite serious-minded and credible. PD))
 


Case ID:
266 - FROM: http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case266.htm

In 1993, and 1994, Air Force spokesmen had claimed that Aurora did not exist. The sources said the denials were phrased in the present tense. 'You dumb reporters never asked whether it had ever existed,' a source told Military Space, adding that the statement was true since the project had been canceled nearly six months earlier."

 Aurora: By Any Other Name

By K.Wilson

While perusing through some old issues Aviation Week and Space Technology, I came across an article about Aurora titled Secret Advanced Vehicles Demonstrate Technologies For Future Military Use. The article mentions what we already know from the stories that have been leaked over the last decade: "Remote areas of the Southwest have been home to classified vehicles for decades, and the number and sophistication of new aircraft appear to have increased sharply over the last 10 years, from 1980 to 1990."

Different types of craft are known to fly about in these remote test sites, also known as "secret bases." The article also mentions black budgets, black projects, as well as the "white" world, where everyone else supposedly lives.

According to Aviation Week, Aurora refers to a group or nest of aircraft projects, or a class of aircraft, and not to one particular aircraft. Funding of the project was supposed to have reached roughly $2.3 billion in fiscal 1987, according to a 1986 procurement document obtained by Aviation Week. That probably explains why the Aurora project was canceled in 1992..

According to an "Exclusive Special Report" published in Military Space in January, 1995, "Aurora was canceled by the 'then-DOD boss Cheney' after he was informed that Aurora vehicles would cost approximately $1 billion per flight article."

Aurora Never Existed?

Quoting Military Space, "In 1993, and 1994, Air Force spokesmen had claimed that Aurora did not exist. The sources said the denials were phrased in the present tense. 'You dumb reporters never asked whether it had ever existed,' a source told Military Space, adding that the statement was true since the project had been canceled nearly six months earlier."

Due to the wording of this statement, we should carefully consider the many FOIA requests that have been filed about UFOs and government documents, especially the GAO investigation into the Roswell incident. This means that if we don't word our questions or requests perfectly - and exactly within the correct window of opportunity - that it is okay for the military and other government agencies to lie to the public.

In light of the Air Force's statements, how should the following statement, also quoted from the same article in Military Space be taken? "... because Aurora did not carry a human crew, G-forces of a much higher load and duration could be sustained by the craft..."

Does this mean that Aurora was only designed for unmanned reconnaissance? If we follow the thinking pattern of the Air Force Spokesmen, this statement could mean that animals or even aliens piloted Aurora. If Aurora was designed for unmanned reconnaissance, why does the artist's rendition of Aurora in the 1990 Aviation Week article, "based on a composite of descriptions provided by observers," depict a pilot in the cockpit wearing an oxygen mask? Why would they publish a picture like this if Aurora was an unmanned vehicle?

What Is It?

What we do know about Aurora, according to Military Space's special report and Aviation Week & Space Technology is: Aurora was a super-secret spy plane that was based on technology acquired from the development of the SR-71. It was originally funded in 1982, and although it was misnamed in the press, the military seemed to be comfortable using the term "Aurora" even in 1995.

According to reports from people who saw it, one of the Aurora craft had an unusual triangular shape and emitted a doughnut-shaped contrail. Since it was published in 1990, that Aurora referred to a blanket under which several different types of highly classified experimental aircraft fell, it is not surprising that a new program called "High-Altitude Endurance Unmanned Air Vehicle" has replaced the Aurora project. As far as I can tell, these craft have been in use since at least 1998.

Two different types of replacement craft were described in the Military Space article. One craft "will lack the Aurora's stealth defenses, but will cruise at about the same altitudes as Aurora, up to 65,000 feet and for durations in excess of a day."

For information on the new class of sophisticated unmanned spy planes (The Tier Program) see the October 1995 issue of Popular Science. The title reads, Stealth Drone - Dark Star Spy craft: The SkunkWorks' latest Hit. The article begins by stating, "By the time you read this, a few agitated citizens will probably have called Edwards Air Force Base in California to report seeing something in the sky that resembles a flying saucer." It also describes the relatively new Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) that was formed in 1993 to "put the drone development program on a fast track. Those of us who have seen real extraterrestrial craft know there is no mistaking a craft from the Tier Program with the real thing, much to the dismay of the military who would like to use UFOs as a "cover" for their new stealth planes. -- No matter how you choose to look at it, Aurora is still flying high.

For more information about Aurora and related information, be sure to visit the following sites:

http://www.fas.org/irp/mystery/aurora.htm

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ucav.htm

Aircraft Designations

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/dod/docs/16-401.htm

Aircraft Designation letters that specify military bases

References:

"Secret Advanced Vehicles Demonstrate Technologies For Future Military Use," Aviation Week & Space Technology, October 1, 1990, pages 20-21. Published by McGraw-Hill.

"Exclusive Special Report: Aurora Project began decade-long DOD focus on UAVs," Military Space, January 23, 1995,
Vol. 12, No.2, pages 1, 7-8.

Copyright ©1993-2007 K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
FROM: http://www.alienjigsaw.com/Part_I/aurora95.html

 


Lockheed's F-22 Raptor Gets Zapped by International Date Line
Brandon Hill (Blog) -

Six Lockheed F-22 Raptors have Y2K-esque glitch of their own over the Pacific

Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor is the most advanced fighter in the world with its stealth capabilities, advanced radar, state of the art weapons systems and ultra-efficient turbofans which allow the F-22 to "supercruise" at supersonic speeds without an afterburner. The Raptor has gone up against the best that the US Air Force and Navy has to offer taking out F-15s, F-16s and F/A-18 Super Hornets during simulated war games in Alaska. The Raptor-led "Blue Air" team was able to rack up an impressive 241-to-2 kill ratio during the exercise against the "Red Air" threat -- the two kills on the blue team were from the 30-year old F-15 teammates and not the new Raptors.

But while the simulated war games were a somewhat easy feat for the Raptor, something more mundane was able to cripple six aircraft on a 12 to 15 hours flight from Hawaii to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The U.S. Air Force's mighty Raptor was felled by the International Date Line (IDL).

When the group of Raptors crossed over the IDL, multiple computer systems crashed on the planes. Everything from fuel subsystems, to navigation and partial communications were completely taken offline. Numerous attempts were made to "reboot" the systems to no avail.

Luckily for the Raptors, there were no weather issues that day so visibility was not a problem. Also, the Raptors had their refueling tankers as guide dogs to "carry" them back to safety. "They needed help. Had they gotten separated from their tankers or had the weather been bad, they had no attitude reference. They had no communications or navigation," said Retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. "They would have turned around and probably could have found the Hawaiian Islands. But if the weather had been bad on approach, there could have been real trouble.”

"The tankers brought them back to Hawaii. This could have been real serious. It certainly could have been real serious if the weather had been bad," Shepperd continued. "It turned out OK. It was fixed in 48 hours. It was a computer glitch in the millions of lines of code, somebody made an error in a couple lines of the code and everything goes."

Luckily for the pilots behind the controls of the Raptors, they were not involved in a combat situation. Had they been, it could have been a disastrous folly by the U.S. Air Force to have to admit that their aircraft which cost $125+ million USD apiece were knocked out of the sky due to a few lines of computer code. "And luckily this time we found out about it before combat. We got it fixed with tiger teams in about 48 hours and the airplanes were flying again, completed their deployment. But this could have been real serious in combat," said Shepperd.


Secret UK stealth plane project revealed

  • 16:18 04 April 2003
  • NewScientist.com news service
  • David Windle
All components must join without gaps or edges to ensure low radar observability (Image: BAE Systems)

 

The existence of a secret programme to produce Britain's own stealth plane has been revealed with the declassification of a single photograph and a short statement.

The craft pictured is full-scale model and was completed in 1999, after five years of work. The £20 million programme, codenamed Replica, was jointly funded by BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence.

Few details have been released, but BAE Systems says Replica was subjected to a "rigorous test programme", which assessed its cross section on radar. This would be key to evaluating whether the craft had "low observability", i.e. stealth. However, it is not known whether systems to reduce its infra-red, acoustic or visual signatures were used.

Replica was never intended to be as difficult to detect as the exotic and extremely expensive pure stealth aircraft such as the US F-117a and B-2. But UK stealth specialists are said to have achieved their goal of striking a balance between low observability and cost. It also demonstrated British expertise in the complex world of stealth technology.

Uneven edge

Technology derived from Replica may well filter into future aircraft. These could include the manned and unmanned concept aircraft under consideration as part of the UK's wide-ranging Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) programme. This aims to fill the gap left when the Tornado GR4 strike/attack aircraft is retired. FOAS has a current delivery date of 2017.

A key contributing factor to an aircraft's radar stealth is the precision with its which its components are fabricated and assembled - any radar-reflecting edges or gaps must be avoided.

British engineers tackled this by creating a virtual 3-D aircraft on computer and then using this data directly to control computer-aided manufacturing systems. These, for example, helped produce the carbon-fibre composite panels that make up the aircraft's skin. During assembly, the panels were aligned with the assistance of laser projection.

What happened to the Replica programme after 1999 is not known. But with the deadline fast approaching for the FOAS programme to move from the "concept" to the "assessment phase", analysts would dearly like to know if a prototype of Replica has secretly flown.

 


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Aviation Picture Hangar - Collection of Military Aircraft photographs featuring the English Electric Lightning, and AVRO Vulcan.
AVIAWORLD's Military Aircraft Photo Gallery - Photographs of all kinds of military aircraft from various air forces around the world.
Avitop.com Fighter Gallery - Photos of F-16, T-17, Draken, Hercules, Gulfstream, and stealth planes.
Bert's Aviation Pictures - Military aircraft from Europe and the United States.
Bill's Aviation Photographs - Original airshow photography by the site owner.
Captured Planes - Photos or artwork of planes capture by foreign militaries.
Colin's Pictures - Index of over 100 aircraft galleries - mainly military.
Combat Aircraft of the Indian Air Force - Pictures/Details of operational Indian Air Force combat planes
Dappa - Site with high quality photoreports of some very interesting visits.
Dave Dunster - Airshow photos by Dave Dunster.
Deane Crilley - Photos of a variety of aircraft.
DV Dynamics - Photographs of fighter aircraft.
F-4 Phantom Images - Photocollection of the F-4 Phantom II Fighter from all over the world
Fighter Jet Pictures - Photogalleries of US jets F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22. Jet information, jet videos, and jet sound files.
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What are the Triangles

were B-2 or F-117 stealth aircraft (the only known American aircraft that might remotely fit the description), then the USAF ...
www.greatdreams.com/ufos/Triangle-ufos.htm

ET EARTH BASE; SECRET SPACE STATION

Soon thereafter, Stealth aircraft took over covert penetration operations. By Richard Boylan, Ph.D./ Drboylan@jps.net. TO ALIEN NEWS. TO EARTHCHANGE NEWS ...
www.greatdreams.com/etsecret.htm

DREAMS OF DRAGONS

Then the next scene came up and showed me that each joint on the previous plane was a stealth bomber or some kind of bomber like we used in the gulf war. ...
www.greatdreams.com/dragons.htm

CRYSTAL SKULLS OF THE HIMALAYAS

The Stealth technology that makes a flying vehicle invisible to radar or similar electronic eyes is also from the extra-terrestrial know how, ...
www.greatdreams.com/himalayan/skull3.html

DREAMS OF ALIENS AND UFOS

It was large sized and was shaped like a wing (somewhat like the Stealth Bomber) It had many windows with light coming from them. The UFO occupants slid ...
www.greatdreams.com/alien.htm

THE WEAPONS OF THE SEA

Then, only the F-117 stealth fighter, with two laser-guided bombs, ..... According to Russian missile makers, the new S300 has anti-stealth capability and ...
www.greatdreams.com/war/weapons-sea.htm

DREAMS OF ALIENS AND UFOS

It was large sized and was shaped like a wing (somewhat like the Stealth Bomber) It had many windows with light coming from them. The UFO occupants slid ...
www.greatdreams.com/aliens.htm

UFO'S AND EXTRATERRESTRIALS

.Yes, 15000 Times, Yes http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/43647.html UFO Stealth thru Space/Time Manipulation http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/2361.asp ...
www.greatdreams.com/ufos.htm

BIGFOOT, SASQUATCH, YETI

Mrs. Gorman says something that resembled a stealth fighter, but ringed with blinking disco lights, silently hovered about 20 feet above her vehicle before ...
www.greatdreams.com/yeti.htm

DREAMS AND VISIONS OF WAR

Second Stealth Bomber Dream Date: 01/13/2000 From: jl ... We were walking along the lake when we saw a black Stealth bomber circling overhead. ...
www.greatdreams.com/war.htm

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

You think we went from bicycle parts and balsa wood wings to stealth bombers in less than 60 years? Not! You think we went from vacuum tube radios to solid ...
www.greatdreams.com/moon/darkmoon.htm

RULE 2002

They had spent the better part of almost 20 years developing mind control and stealth technologies that Congress didn't want anyone to use. ...
www.greatdreams.com/war/rule_2002.htm

WAR WITH IRAN

In recent weeks, Washington also has sent 17 Stealth warplanes to South Korea as part of a series of steps to increase pressure on the North and signal the ...
www.greatdreams.com/political/stalemate.htm

WEATHER MANIPULATION and THE RESULTS

The regime is upping the ante by resorting to its secret weapons of stealth and deception in its frantic death fight. Traitors must be exposed to the light. ...
www.greatdreams.com/weather/weather_manipulation.htm

Star Wars: The Next Generation

The Soviets can employ other offensive systems, particularly manned bombers and long-range cruise missiles with improved penetration aids and stealth ...
www.greatdreams.com/war/starwars.htm

TERRORISM - WORLD TRADE CENTER - DREAM PAGE

... at work (I work for the Dept of Defense at Northrop-Grumman where they build the B2 Stealth Bomber) -- at the Electronics building (Johnson Building), ...
www.greatdreams.com/trade_dreams.htm

DEATHSTAR II

Uranium bombs, shells and bullets are just different forms of slow-acting, stealth nuclear weapons. They are slower than the instant big boom and flash of ...
www.greatdreams.com/death/deathstar2.htm

PLANE CRASH DATABASE

up and showed me that each joint on the previous plane was a stealth bomber ... hill in case someone was coming the other way and would crash into her. ...
www.greatdreams.com/plane_crash_database.htm

TERRORISM - WORLD TRADE CENTER - 9-11-2001 - MILITARY PAGE

... were considering everything from use of elite Special Operations troops to strikes by heavy B-2 stealth bombers and cruise missile raids. ...
www.greatdreams.com/trade_military.htm

ANOTHER PEARL HARBOR IN OUR FUTURE?

The F-22's stealth characteristics will make it less vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles, and it will fly at supersonic speed without going to ...
www.greatdreams.com/land_forces.htm

THE WAR WE WATCHED ON TV - THE FACTS AND MORE

The Serbs succeeded in shooting down an American F117 Stealth fighter during the Nato bombing campaign in 1999. In recent weeks, British and American pilots ...
www.greatdreams.com/wariraq.htm

David Adair - Visitor Unwilling at Area 51

ROBERT: The one you told me was "stealth"? DAVID: Right. We built one just for the local people to see what we were working on. The Air Force guys came over ...
www.greatdreams.com/david-adair.htm

Alien Abduction Classifications

Soon thereafter, Stealth aircraft took over covert penetration operations. By Richard Boylan, Ph.D./ Drboylan@jps.net. TO ALIEN NEWS. TO EARTHCHANGE NEWS. ...
www.greatdreams.com/ufos/alien-abduction-technology.htm

DREAMS OF BOMBS

Then the next scene came up and showed me that each joint on the previous plane was a stealth bomber or some kind of bomber like we used in the gulf war. ...
www.greatdreams.com/bombs.htm

THE DOGS OF WAR - BLOWBACK AND THE MARBLE GAME

Several thousands Panamanians died when Stealth planes bombed Chorillo, a working class neighborhood, during the invasion. During the Soviet occupation of ...
www.greatdreams.com/blowback.html

The Mental Destruction of Paul Bennewitz

Sometime later they realized their mistake and began to paint them black, thus creating the first "stealth" aircraft. (Uncle Phaed's UFO Investigator's ...
www.greatdreams.com/Falcon-Richard-Doty.htm

NEW WORLD ORDER CONSPIRACIES

1st operational Stealth fighter flies out of AREA 51. Early Teachings. E.T.; The Extra-Terrestrial EBE phone home. Thunderworlds Tour ...
www.greatdreams.com/cnsprcy.htm

KOSOVO AT A GLANCE

(CNN) RealPlayer, WindowsMedia. Downed NATO Stealth Fighter. (Yugoslav Government) JPG Photos. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ...
www.greatdreams.com/kosovo.htm

SCALAR PHYSICS - ALTERNATIVE ENERGY - FREE ENERGY - PLASMA ENERGY ...

... general revealed that the new Lockheed-Martin space shuttle (National Space Plane) and the B-2 (stealth bomber) both have electro-gravitic systems on. ...
www.greatdreams.com/scalar.htm

John Lear - UFOs and Aliens

The Stealth fighter was flying for 10 years before you even knew it existed." As the hour drew late another question, more clearly stated, was asked of Mr. ...
www.greatdreams.com/John-Lear.htm

DISASTER DREAMS PAGE 2

Also, with all of the very non-aerodynamic facets, the F117 Stealth Fighters had to ... The modern stealth airplane is defined as a plane with a low radar ...
www.greatdreams.com/disaster-dreams2.htm



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