Found two weird airplanes in Plant 42, anyone care to tell me what they are?

Originally posted by FredT

I beleive that they also fly the last small wing U-2 in existance as well.

Found very this extensive photo album from Dryden airfield, you might already have seen it. It says the U-2 was never flown from there but was a CIA cover story provided by NASA after the ambarrasing shoot-down

www.dfrc.nasa.gov...

The U-2 wasn't flown from Dryden, but the ER-2 was. Same airframe, different airplane. The ER-2 is a modified U-2C that has environmental sensors added to the wingtips and fuselage for taking samples in the upper atmosphere. Even though it's the same airframe, it IS considered a different airplane.

www.nasa.gov...

I'd say that they are C-130:s... The plane has large wings wich would indicate that it would need a lot of lift, and that it has four engines... yeah, I'd say that they are C-130...

I didn't read the whole thread, but just wanted to throw in my opinion... i see C130s and a F117.

Not the best 3 way view of a C-27, but here is the C-27 and C-130 for comparison. Look at the wing shape of the two and compare it to the pic that was posted.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
Here's two more that we can play with. I'm almost positive one is a WB-57, but there is some doubt. The other one, I have NO idea what it could be. Any help would be appreciated.

This is an X-32! It was Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter compition, which lead to the Lockheed F-35 that is now being developed. The unusual wing shape is the dead giveaway!

Tim

Theres a whole bunch of interesting types here - (Just zoom right in)
maps.google.com...,-110.867951&spn=0.004462,0.007318&t=k&hl=en
Check out the Hustler!

Originally posted by ghost

Originally posted by Zaphod58

This is an X-32! It was Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter compition, which lead to the Lockheed F-35 that is now being developed. The unusual wing shape is the dead giveaway!

Tim

I would be very interested to know when this shot was taken.
If the X-32's are in museums and this pic was taken recently then something's amiss. Perhaps a black squadron in the making...

But that's IF the original X-32's are accounted for in other locations.

Is the photo from Andrews/Dryden?

If it is, the white plane is an F-15B modified by NASA to test some flight system. It flyes along with the F-15 ACTIVE (the design the russians copied for their SU-30 plane)

It's from Palmdale, CA. Not Edwards.

the 2 big planes are c-130's. and in the bottom picture thats a f-117 stealth. theres no mistaking that harsh triangle shape..

I think this is the B2 that skippyjtc was on about.

Defenetly two C-130... Cos' their noses are a bit strange looking, and it can't be a C-17, Cos' the wings aren't looking like that... the second picture looks like a F-117.. But I'am not 100% on it...

Were do you see B-1...???

The X-32 outdoors at Plant 42 is a full-scale mock-up.

Why can't you take close up pictures of the Groom Lake complex like you did with Plant 42? See what planes are there.

Well one reason would be that the planes there are all classified. Most of them are so Black that you won't ever hear about them. And even if you COULD zoom in, the planes are only brought out before flights. Usually from the hangar, straight into the air, and they only do that when they know there are no sattelites overehead.

[edit on 11/24/2005 by Zaphod58]

Well, they have to take them out of the hangers sometime don't they? Well on second thought, maybe they never take them out until it's dark so satellite imaging is useless.... *slaps self*

They have every sattelite with a camera plotted, and know when they're going overhead. Not to mention that Google Earth isn't a real time picture. They store them from previous passes. They take a picture, and don't update it, or don't update it for a couple weeks/months/years, I don't know how long. And sattelites work just fine in the dark. They use IR cameras as well as optical cameras.

[edit on 11/24/2005 by Zaphod58]

God guys, are you gonna leave any of these aircraft for me to indentify? lol, that's my specialty.

I do admit I am not yet sure of the first planes posted.