NT43 at the Tonopah Test Range

NT43 at the Tonopah Test Range

Photographs courtesy Phil Drake. The NT43 is pretty rare. It is probably this plane:

NT-43 over Death Valley

this is not my official word, just an oppinion:

they are likely testing the new laser weapon that attaches to the nose of the plane.

i seen a documentary on it on the NGC the other day.

very star wars stuff here

The laser plane is the ABL (air borne laser). It is a program at Edwards south base.

South of the TTR is Site-4, which is part of the Have Glib project. It is full of foreign radar. The NT-43 is a radar plane as well, so this makes more sense.

It's off-topic, but there are old environmental reports for Edwards related to the Star Wars directed energy projects. The ABL supposedly uses the same targets for ground tests.

reply to post by gariac


Can't find any information on the Have Glib project, could you please provide us with some links

Project HAVE GLIB was a foreign materiel evaluation program initiated in 1970. It involved testing Soviet-type tracking and missile-control radar systems. A complex of actual and replica threat systems was assembled and arranged at Area 51 and TTR to simulate a Soviet-style air defense complex. The TTR radar complex is known as Site 4.

reply to post by Shadowhawk


It would be interesting to know the exact timing of the Groom and Site-4 "Have Glib" construction. For instance, I assume Groom came first, perhaps to keep the acquisition of the foreign gear a secret, but then it became obvious to the powers that be that fighter aircraft, or more correctly their pilots, be allowed to to painted with the foreign radar in a safe environment rather than over hostile territory.

The old Tom Mahood Bluefire website indicated that Site-4 was staffed by people that flew in on Janets, i.e. nobody that lived in Tonopah worked at Site-4.