TR-3A Black Manta- here's what I know!

Based on the Recient topic on the TR-3B and TR-3A, I have decided to try to define the TR-3A for readers. I believe it is the most realistic sounding of the two aircraft.

The TR-3A Black Manta is a Top Secret spylane built by Northrop Grumman. While very little detail is known of this plane, we do know some things. Based on almost 8 years of private research, I will try to peice together what I know for ATS readers.

According to the March 1995 issue of Popular Mechanics, the first unconfirmed sitings of the TR-3A, occured in Anthelope Valley, CA., near Northrop's (Now Northrop Grumman) Advanced Systems Plant, Air Force Plant 42, Site 4 (where the B-2's were built). Observers claim it is a flying wing aircraft with rounded wing tips and a short wing span (Approxamately: 60 to 65 feet). Reports about the presence or absents of vertical tail surfaces are inconclusive!(Personally, I don't think it has a verital tail, but I couldn't find a picture without the tail). The Fleet of Black Mantas is thought to be small (No more then 20 to 30 aircraft). Observers say the aircraft can fly slow and maybe even hover.

The TR-3 (Note: I don't think it has the vertical tail fins based on what I know about flying wing, However that is MY oppinion!):



Based on the facts above, here are some conclusions I have drawn about the most likely mission of this plane(The Fallowing ALL OPPINION on my part, Please accept it as such and feel free to debate my ideas and reasoning!):

1. The TR-3A is a Northrop Grumman aircraft! Northrop (Now Northrop Gruman) has been working with the flying wing since 1928, when it's founder, Jack Northorp design the first Nrothrop Flying wing, called the Avion Model 1. This long history of building flying wings gives them experience with that design that no other company has!
Second, it was first seen near a Nothrop plant. this sugests that it might have been lanched from that plant.

2. It reported ability to fly slow, suggests that it might fly an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT)or Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) mission similar to that of theRC-135 RIVET JOINT.

3. This aircraft is most likely based at Groom Lake/Area 51. This would be the best spot to hide it. Also, Groom Lake is not far from Anthelope Valley if you are flying!

4. The extreme secrecy also suggest a SIGINT or ELINT mission. SIGINT related info is classified as Top Secret SCI, according to the NSA.

5. The SIGINT mission implies that the aircraft might be flown by the Air Force Security Service! (The Air Force Security Service is a component
of the Central Security Services(CSS) CSS is the military component of the NSA! CSS and the NSA

6. The Fact that it is most likly a Air Force Security Service aircraft, means that the aircraft is tasked by the NSA.

As I said these ideas are based on what I know. Feel free to add your own to the mix!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

Are you sure, someone has not confused it (the sightings) with X-47?

Originally posted by longbow
Are you sure, someone has not confused it (the sightings) with X-47?

The shape is different and the X-47 is much smaller (based on what I have heard. However, Weirder things have happened! It Extreemly unlikely, but who knows?

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

But it really possible that some stealth recon plane is under development, so yoou might be true. DarkStar was cancelled and the stealth spyplane abilities would be surely apreciated by inteligence services. Although I don't think it should be visible from ground.

having a recon plane that looks like a other plane is a classic, for example the reports of a recon version of the F117A, or the Tornado GR4A, if you cannot id the dam thing you do not know what it's up to.

This thing may exist the small numbers may hint that it were one of two things: a black project that stayed black or a demo that went black. A bit like the idea that the YF-23 went black and it'll be back (or black) l8ter.

A stealth EINIT would be cool but very hard to pull off, wouldn't work over a modern high intesity enviroment! Well haven't done the math and not going too but if you track the radio signals or the b-transmissions you would be able to track it back. Unless it's direct to sat.

Many years ago I worked for Northrop on the line that was building the F-18. I met some of the upper guys and we took a liking to each other. I got to watch a number of films about the origin and evolution of the flying wing. Always loved that design!

Makes me feel pretty good to know that it is possibly out there running on the bleeding edge.

Thanks for sharing Tim.

Hey! I had a thread on this!

Geeze Ghost, this is like what? The 3rd thread you started on this topic?

I'm sure there were past threads that you can add too.

Shattered OUT...

Originally posted by ShatteredSkies
Hey! I had a thread on this!

Geeze Ghost, this is like what? The 3rd thread you started on this topic?

I'm sure there were past threads that you can add too.

Shattered OUT...

Most of the ones I saw where about the "TR-3B", which if you read carefully, seems to be a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT aircraft! As I said in one of those threads, I personally do Not believe the "Alleged "B" version is a real plane. The plane in those threads is supposed to be something like a MILE wide! Come On, do you REALLY think they have a spy plane that is that big? My Mission here at ATS is to seperate FACT from FICTION! Sorry, but I won't contribute to the ignorance and the myths by confusing people. Second, I couldn't locate my eariler theads at the time!

Ok, now that we have cleared that up, lets get back to the TR-3A. I know we can make a really good thread out of this discussion if we all work to Stay on topic!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

Good info. It is interesting to see how much the shape of the TR3 A/B has changed since I had first heard about it.
In the drawing you posted the shape of the tail section would greatly reduce or eliminate any radar returns, so stelth would still be maintained. Just a thought.

I had a Thread on the TR3-A Black Manta going way before I knew anything about the TR3-B.

I believe the TR3-B is real for undesclosed reasons, which I am not at liberty to share.

The TR3-B is not a mile wide, it is 600ft wide. That's roughly 1/14 of a mile.(Is my math right? I did this in my head)

And I completely understand why you would think the TR3-B would not exist, at first, I thought it wasn't real, eventually I was convinced otherwise.

Shattered OUT...

I have seen plenty of pics from various sources that for me cofirmed the existance of the TR-3B.

I'll share what I know:

-TR-3A, a Tactical Reconaisance aircraft that is a companion aircraft to the F-117, possibly a spotter plane of some sort, they have been reported in the gulf war and most witness testimonies speak of a triangular design, it has the wingpan of a F-117 but is smaller in length and probably in height, perhaps designed from the A-12 Avenger II project?
-TR-3B, Large Tactical Recon platform, alledgedly based on alien technology, it likely uses a power source that provides the craft with unlimited unrefueled flightime, it is reported to be able to hover and move abrubtly and quickly, the powerplant could be either Nuclear Fission, Fusion or Zeropoint technology, the aircraft is propelled by some type of jet engine, most likely a type of SCRAM engine or Pulse Detonation engine, the aircraft probably has some gravity disturbing device or something in the sense of Anti-Gravity, this aircraft has been sighted often in Europe (Belgium quite often), Russia and in the United States, there have been reports of giant triangles hovering over large cities and leave with tremendous velocity when persued by intercepting aircraft.

I have a strong feeling this is real and exists, I am not sure about the designation, but it's claimed by some to be Astra.

I was watching unsolved mysteries on CBS Reality last night and a video of this plane was shown ,they said that they contacted the USAF and they denied it existed.Moreover they did an update and the airforce had told them that the plane did exist ! So it exists ,I wonder what it's technical specs are ?

Originally posted by edtheduck
I was watching unsolved mysteries on CBS Reality last night and a video of this plane was shown ,they said that they contacted the USAF and they denied it existed.Moreover they did an update and the airforce had told them that the plane did exist ! So it exists ,I wonder what it's technical specs are ?

Yup, the USAF is going to reveal a highly classified aircraft to ... "Unsolved Mysteries". Who did they get hold of, the base janitor? I doubt they even tried to verify the source.

I am still firmly of the opinion that this is a fictional aircraft, dreamed up by spotty teenagers.

reply to post by RichardPrice

No I think it was from the military branch not the domestic one .Why don't you contact the show yourself and ask ? I await your reply.......

Originally posted by edtheduck
reply to post by RichardPrice

 

No I think it was from the military branch not the domestic one .Why don't you contact the show yourself and ask ? I await your reply.......

You are the one bringing the 'show' to the discussion, why should we validate your comments? You are taking their 'proof' as given when you should be questioning the very basis of their investigation.

The 'TR-3B' is the holy grail of the pimply faced conspiracy theorist, you really think the USAF is going to out it to a TV show? You really think that the USAF isnt going to go about outing a top secret, multi billion dollar aircraft program in a slightly different manner? You dont think that there would be *real* legal ramifications for an outing in the manner this show is saying it happened? You dont think Congress would have something to say?

Top secret military projects do not get revealed on TV interest shows, never going to happen. If you believe otherwise, then you have been sold a bridge.

TR3A is a stealth recon Plane .I am not talking about the TR3B which seems to be much more advanced.The post title states TR3A now stop been a troll .

Originally posted by edtheduck
TR3A is a stealth recon Plane .I am not talking about the TR3B which seems to be much more advanced.The post title states TR3A now stop been a troll .

In this thread its the TR-3A, in other threads its the TR-3B, it invariably goes by the name 'Black Manta' either way - and it doesn't matter, because the argument IS EXACTLY THE SAME.

Apparently its a top secret aircraft built for some nefarious purpose - some people claim it has alien technology, others claim its been operating since the 1980s, while still others claim its been flying since before then. Its been photographed many many times, although many of those photographs look worse than a Mickey Mouse cartoon cell. The TR-3A/B/Whatever is another Aurora - it must exist because its so damn cool, and you can hang whatever science fiction technology you want off it in the process because thats also so damn cool.

At the end of the day, no one confirms the existence of a much saught after, much discussed, much protected top secret project to an entertainment TV show - it quite simply DOES NOT HAPPEN.

The SR-71, revealed by the President of the United States. The U-2 was announced by the President of the United States (forced to by the USSR). The F-117 was revealed by the Air Force at a press conference. The B-2 had a public revealing ceremony. The Boeing Bird of Prey had a press conference and party. The RQ-170 Sentinal was revealed by press release after it was publicly photographed and made the front page of several industry leading magazines.

The USAF does NOT simply confirm the existence of the holy grail of conspiracy theorists over the phone. Doesn't happen. It would be all over the aviation news if they did, everyone would be making their own calls to confirm. Never happened. Not once. No follow ups, no press releases to confirm or deny, nothing. Nada.

On a final note, never, ever trot out the 'troll' label simply because I happen to disagree with you - if you cannot have a structured discussion then do not take part, because labelling someone a troll because you do not like what they say is pathetic.

I am not a believer in the TR3-Whatever, I don't believe it exists. That doesn't mean I don't think *you* shouldn't believe it exists, but what I do think is that you should start taking some personal responsibility for the level of evidence that you are willing to accept - a CBS show is not evidence, its entertainment that they create to feed you advertisements off the back off, they pander to the non-thinking, blank minded crowds who are all too willing to accept whatever is put before them. In this case, they claimed to have got an affirmation of the existence of this aircraft - but they present no proof, no follow ups, nothing else.

Quite simply, if they had got a confirmed affirmation, then it would have been on the front page of Flight Global, Aviation Week and hundreds of other industry investigative journalism rag sheets - strangely enough, it hasn't. I wonder what that means...

That's what I would have thought too ? however it's not? That's why I posted what I saw on the show and regardless of the show if they broadcast that the USAF told them it existed ,then we can only assume they did .
TR3A and B are completely different craft ,one is supposedly alien tech ,the TR3A is our own tech .So yes I think there is a big difference in saying we have a stealth recon plane similar to the retired stealth fighter compared to we have a craft based on reverse engineered alien technology.

Originally posted by edtheduck
That's what I would have thought too ? however it's not? That's why I posted what I saw on the show and regardless of the show if they broadcast that the USAF told them it existed ,then we can only assume they did .

No, we most certainly CANNOT only assume, that is patently stupid and bordering on wishful thinking.

There is no evidence to suggest at all that this TV shows claim is valid, no evidence to support it, nothing. It is infact journalism at its worst.

If you think that the mass media will not broadcast untruths or stretch the meanings of statements, then you need a reality check. Journalists lie through their teeth to get the story, and they will indeed make some extremely shady comments in order to make that story happen.

TR3A and B are completely different craft ,one is supposedly alien tech ,the TR3A is our own tech .So yes I think there is a big difference in saying we have a stealth recon plane similar to the retired stealth fighter compared to we have a craft based on reverse engineered alien technology.

The only distinction is what people have created for themselves - no evidence for either aircraft exist, and both have been referred to as the Black Manta over the years.

We have UAVs with better capabilities than the F-117 in service that have been public knowledge since day one - why would this fabled TR-3A need to be protected any more?

That's what I think too , so no big deal in saying it exists ? I don't trust the media, but I do think that the USAF Would defend Itself if someone on national television challenged it ,so if the show is lying why no rebuff from the USAF ?