The Aurora Project

"Word around the campfire" coming out of Groom Lake is of a new fighter project called "Aurura". It seems, this plane has whats known as a "pulse energy" propulsion system. does anyone know anything more about this ?-j; )

Actually, its a spy plane replacing the SR-71 blackbird in 1989. It travels anywhere from mach 6-20. This aircraft is said to be stored in Area 51 for maintenence. The price tag would be approximately $10 billion dollars.

www.fas.org...

Aurora was the project name for the B-2 bomber.

r u saying that aurora never existed as a spyplance replacing the sr-71 blackbird.

[edit on 4-11-2004 by BirdsEyeView]

I never said that a plane to replace the SR-71 does not exist. I am just stating that it is not called Aurora.

Yeah, i'm also starting to be more pushed to Aurora bieng the B-2, But I also believe that the USAF still has spy planes.

Aurora in those pics look more like a nighthawk than a B2.Anyway the B2 can't even get over mach 1,it relies more on stealth.Mach 20 you say,how would the pilot stay alive at those speeds?Even at mach 2,to turn 90 degrees would mean moving over 3 states.

Pressurizedsuits will hold the pilot

Friend of a friend works for NASA and claims that a particular aircraft (name unknown by me) can fly from west coast of US to Pine Gap Australia in 4 hours. Anyone know anything about it??

Originally posted by Murcielago
Yeah, i'm also starting to be more pushed to Aurora bieng the B-2, But I also believe that the USAF still has spy planes.

Specifically, the 'Aurora' line item on the FY 1986 budget report that started all this was later proven to be trailing edge wing alterations to the B-2, for enhancements in newer low observability technology in shorter wavelength radar areas. The only reason it was taken to be a spy plane was that the SR-71 was coming up for review AND the line item was placed next to the TR-1 budget request. This led people to speculate, and thats it really. No hard evidence has been discovered for the existence of a SR-71 replacement, just lots of circumstancial evidence. My personal opinion is that they wouldnt have retired the SR-71 without a suitable replacement, but the military has done some stupider things in the past.

Friend of a friend works for NASA and claims that a particular aircraft (name unknown by me) can fly from west coast of US to Pine Gap Australia in 4 hours. Anyone know anything about it??

I'm pretty sure the SR-71 could do that. When we used to track one it didn't stay in our radar range very long. I can see how it would be almost impossible to shoot down, I tried to time it and it looks like a SAM operator gets about 5 seconds or so to make a fire decision.

Originally posted by RichardPrice

Originally posted by Murcielago
Yeah, i'm also starting to be more pushed to Aurora bieng the B-2, But I also believe that the USAF still has spy planes.

Specifically, the 'Aurora' line item on the FY 1986 budget report that started all this was later proven to be trailing edge wing alterations to the B-2, for enhancements in newer low observability technology in shorter wavelength radar areas. The only reason it was taken to be a spy plane was that the SR-71 was coming up for review AND the line item was placed next to the TR-1 budget request. This led people to speculate, and thats it really. No hard evidence has been discovered for the existence of a SR-71 replacement, just lots of circumstancial evidence. My personal opinion is that they wouldnt have retired the SR-71 without a suitable replacement, but the military has done some stupider things in the past.

But dont ya think its a little odd, that right next to the SR-71 (spy plane), the U-2 (spy plane), then there a B-2 upgrade - that sounds a little wierd for me to believe, thats why i'm undicided about which one to believe.

Originally posted by Murcielago

Originally posted by RichardPrice

Originally posted by Murcielago
Yeah, i'm also starting to be more pushed to Aurora bieng the B-2, But I also believe that the USAF still has spy planes.

Specifically, the 'Aurora' line item on the FY 1986 budget report that started all this was later proven to be trailing edge wing alterations to the B-2, for enhancements in newer low observability technology in shorter wavelength radar areas. The only reason it was taken to be a spy plane was that the SR-71 was coming up for review AND the line item was placed next to the TR-1 budget request. This led people to speculate, and thats it really. No hard evidence has been discovered for the existence of a SR-71 replacement, just lots of circumstancial evidence. My personal opinion is that they wouldnt have retired the SR-71 without a suitable replacement, but the military has done some stupider things in the past.

But dont ya think its a little odd, that right next to the SR-71 (spy plane), the U-2 (spy plane), then there a B-2 upgrade

- that sounds a little wierd for me to believe, thats why i'm undicided about which one to believe.

Not really, having read that full fiscal report myself, they didnt exactly categorise it in any way. It was literally "money for this, money for that, money for this other thing, some more money for something to do with the first thing, something else", so I wouldnt read anything into the positions within the document. Besides, wouldnt categorising the fiscal report as you suggest possibly let things slip that shouldnt be otherwise known? It would be poor security imho!

well isnt pulse energy like the star wars stuff>??? u know the blue stuff at the end of the millenium falcon only NOT NEAR as fast

When dad was at the Pentagon the first time he was in charge of Special Projects. He would leave and come back a few days later and always say he was in California and stopped to see grandma. No problem, until he left to go to Utah as D.O. of the 388th TFW and the first block of F-16's,he got a plaque from the people he worked with in Special Projects. It was a Model Metro train ( DC Metro ) with a white boomerang over it, the only inscription was M, M, or M............. Never would say what it was or meant. I kept asking but he wouldnt say, It was a "secret". I forgot about it.

I did some crypto work on the Night Hawk ( wobbly goblin' ). Took a little trip from Vegas one day. Wooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh In civies.

Came home on leave and dad was still at the Pentagon and I stayed at his house. I asked him where he used to go and he finally told me. Area 51 Groom Lake. I laughed my *** off because I just got back. I didn't tell him but he knew. I asked him if he ever saw any 'aliens'. He looked at me with a straight darn face and said "No, but I did see a lot of weird stuff". I just nodded and chuckled. I finaly took the plaque with the model train off the mantle and handed it to him and demanded to know what it meant.

Here goes.

The train represented Washington DC's slow way to get around. The boomerang should be obvious, it was the B-2 Spirit. The M, M or M????

Man, Myth or Machine??????? I had it finaly after all of those years.

He was the project leader for the bird. The name of the project...............................

You guessed it, AURORA. I am not saying that there may not be planes out there like you describe. BUT, the name is not AURORA.

Now on the pulse energy and super fast aircraft. Dad was Undersecretary of Defense for Caspar Weinberger and the Reagan administration after the 388th. President Reagan delivered a State of the Union address in which dad begged him not to mention the plane you are talking about. It at the time was called the "Orient Express".

Just so you dont think I am blowing it out my rear. My dad, G. Kent Bankus retired to fighter pilot row in Destin. He was VP for gov't affairs at General Dynamics when he left for Florida.

JB

Thanks Just, for a little intelligent insight and an answer that makes sense.

I understand that most things have a less than exciting explanation, or plainly a mundane answer, and so, I am glad that there is still the possibility of a plane out there that exceeds the "real" flight characteristics of the SR-71.

Originally posted by just_a_pilot
When dad was at the Pentagon the first time he was in charge of Special Projects. He would leave and come back a few days later and always say he was in California and stopped to see grandma. No problem, until he left to go to Utah as D.O. of the 388th TFW and the first block of F-16's,he got a plaque from the people he worked with in Special Projects. It was a Model Metro train ( DC Metro ) with a white boomerang over it, the only inscription was M, M, or M............. Never would say what it was or meant. I kept asking but he wouldnt say, It was a "secret". I forgot about it.

I did some crypto work on the Night Hawk ( wobbly goblin' ). Took a little trip from Vegas one day. Wooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh In civies.

Came home on leave and dad was still at the Pentagon and I stayed at his house. I asked him where he used to go and he finally told me. Area 51 Groom Lake. I laughed my *** off because I just got back. I didn't tell him but he knew. I asked him if he ever saw any 'aliens'. He looked at me with a straight darn face and said "No, but I did see a lot of weird stuff". I just nodded and chuckled. I finaly took the plaque with the model train off the mantle and handed it to him and demanded to know what it meant.

Here goes.

The train represented Washington DC's slow way to get around. The boomerang should be obvious, it was the B-2 Spirit. The M, M or M????

Man, Myth or Machine??????? I had it finaly after all of those years.

He was the project leader for the bird. The name of the project...............................

You guessed it, AURORA. I am not saying that there may not be planes out there like you describe. BUT, the name is not AURORA.

Now on the pulse energy and super fast aircraft. Dad was Undersecretary of Defense for Caspar Weinberger and the Reagan administration after the 388th. President Reagan delivered a State of the Union address in which dad begged him not to mention the plane you are talking about. It at the time was called the "Orient Express".

Just so you dont think I am blowing it out my rear. My dad, G. Kent Bankus retired to fighter pilot row in Destin. He was VP for gov't affairs at General Dynamics when he left for Florida.

JB

damn, i LOVE posts like this.

Thanks!

Here's a nice pic of the SR-71 taking off from Groom Lake maybe?

You are very much welcome! Not a problem at all. I think.

Wow what a great story, thanks for sharing, kind of finally brings a decade old theory to rest.

Now the real question is, what really happened with Orient Express?