http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A98ddaa5a-e2b3-4a1a-9218-14d04d3ef6a1
Quote...photos taken by Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett of an aircraft seen over Amarillo on March 10....
(http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/4/ca8a5909-6257-43bb-8445-f7023cf504a4.Full.jpg)
(http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/7/b57384e6-a5fd-4393-b7ca-9fc018a39528.Full.jpg)
A New Black Aircraft? Mystery Aircraft Over Texas
The aircraft seen here was accompanied by two others. This and the fact that Steve picked up some apparently related voice traffic suggests that the aircraft is piloted: I doubt that you'd dispatch three large, classified unmanned aircraft anywhere in formation. The risk of a midair would be present, and such an event would be non-career-optimal. Quote
As far as I know, this sort of thing has happened only once since 1956.
That was when British magazines started getting eyewitness accounts and grainy photos of the Lockheed U-2, then operating out of RAF Lakenheath on its first spy flights over the Soviet Union. Classified programs have been exposed in all sorts of ways since then - for example, the A-12 Blackbird was disclosed under a degree of pressure - but until the RQ-170 Sentinel was seen at Kandahar in 2007-09 there has been no such aircraft photographed before it was declassified. (And in the case of the RQ-170, the operational security people were not trying too hard.)
With that in mind, let's look at the photos taken by Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett of an aircraft seen over Amarillo on March 10.
(http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/10/4/ca8a5909-6257-43bb-8445-f7023cf504a4.Full.jpg)
QuoteThe photos tell us more about what the mysterious stranger isn't than what it is. The size is very hard to determine, for example, although the image size at contrailing height suggests that it is bigger than an X-47B. However, the basic shape - while it resembles Boeing's Blended Wing Body studies or the Swift Killer Bee/Northrop Grumman Bat unmanned air system - is different from anything known to have flown at full size, lacking the notched trailing edge of Northrop Grumman's full-size designs.
(http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/7/b57384e6-a5fd-4393-b7ca-9fc018a39528.Full.jpg)
It's not merely logical to expect that numerous classified aircraft programs exist: it's almost a necessity under the principle of Occam's Razor, because if they don't, you have to contrive some sort of explanation for what Area 51 has been up to all these years
http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3a98ddaa5a-e2b3-4a1a-9218-14d04d3ef6a1
8)
Enhanced Photograph
(http://up-ship.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/aircraft.jpg)
"I smiled. "I think we have discovered a new black aircraft!""
Quote"Look out to the southwest - there are three planes flying in formation - you can see their contrails."
I told the rest of the gang and we headed to the front of Old English to (as we say in Texas) take a gander.
They weren't hard to spot. The sky was severe-clear and the three contrails stood out like white chalked exclamation points across a deep blue sky.
The three aircraft were approaching from the southwest and they weren't in a hurry. They seemed to be heading right for the airport.
We readied the lenses on our cameras and hoped to get a clear shot of them coming overhead.
Since we are all aircraft spotters - we knew they most likely weren't commercial aircraft and had to be military, hoping maybe they were something cool like an F-22 or F-15s that we often see flying over the Amarillo VOR but have yet been able to coax down for some gas and grub.
Both Dean Muskett and myself were shooting with similar lenses - a 70 to 300mm zoom, I with my Nikon and he with his Canon.
There were four witnesses to this formation (five if you count my grandson) myself, Ken Hanson, Dean Muskett and "Tom."
http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/mystery-aircraft-photographed-over.html
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EQnWvVspB-s/UzXUt10jWmI/AAAAAAAAV44/X7LJpnMBiYE/s1600/enhanced3s.jpg)
Quote
Convinced we had captured a new black aircraft, I began looking closer at the other 20-odd frames and doing some enhancing - bringing out the planform, applying filters and discarding the color. At the same time I knew I had another source I needed to check.
I own a Uniden BCT15x scanning receiver dedicated to receiving and recording communications in the military-aviation UHF band (225 to 399 MHz) which when connected to a PC records everything and saves them as a time-stamped file. It was a simple thing to go into those recordings and search them for any communications possibly related to the sighting.
I found two. One with a three-ship-formation of aircraft checking in with Albuquerque Center on 251.100 MHz and another with the same aircraft checking in with Fort Worth Center on 316.100 MHz.
Call sign: "SIENNA"
LINKS:
SIENNA FLIGHT CHECK IN ON ZAB
http://www.webbfeatproductions.com/unknown2.mp3
SIENNA FLIGHT CHECK IN ON ZFW
http://www.webbfeatproductions.com/unknown.mp3
.............
So I began to think about what we had, which was three unidentified aircraft (with the same call sign) flying in a non-standard formation with three mile separation.
.................
We know they were manned, we know they were big and we know they were and unlike anything that anyone has yet to admit are currently in our military inventory.
We know they flew - in broad daylight- over at least three states and maybe more. I heard them checking in over New Mexico, Texas and watched as they flew toward Oklahoma.
Where they went from there is anybody's guess.
So where did they come from? Where are they based?
Since they came from the southwest it's logical to conclude they could have come from Holloman, AFB, Cannon AFB, or maybe even Edwards AFB.
They also may have flown from Nellis or Area 51 - possibly for some work or testing over the White Sands Missle Range or Melrose Bombing Range or any number of ranges located in the south western US. Maybe TTR? These are all questions that remain open.
http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/mystery-aircraft-photographed-over.html
It appears to be something similar to this configuration, possibly a larger, manned version?
Boeing Phantom Ray
(http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4fce33b9eab8eab26e00000d-1200/boeing-phantom-ray.jpg)
http://www.businessinsider.com/check-out-these-next-generation-drones-2012-6?op=1
Cosmo
Quote from: COSMO on March 30, 2014, 06:24:27 PM
It appears to be something similar to this configuration, possibly a larger, manned version?
Yes, I was thinking along those lines as well.
Hopefully we can find out more as the story develops.
AirForce said it was not a B2, but they would not
say anything more. ;)
A better shot showing craft and the the contrails.
(http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Mystery-plane.png)
This from Aviation Week on March 31, 2014.
Its a bit of a repeat however a few new bits.
Unidentified Aircraft Seen Over Southwest U.S.
Quote
March 31, 2014
Credit: STEVE DOUGLASS
The identity of what appears to be a blended wing-body aircraft type photographed over Amarillo, Texas, on March 10 remains uncertain, with the U.S. Air Force declining any comment on the aircraft.
Three aircraft were observed flying in formation southwest of Amarillo around 4:20 p.m. CDT, by photographers on the fence line of the city's international airport. IbOne of the aircraft could be a B-2, but the clearest color photos and monochrome images enhanced (for contrast and resolution) with commercial software suggest a blended shape with a straight trailing edge. Steve Douglass, one of the photographers and an experienced aircraft observer, says the aircraft were "larger than fighter-size" and appeared similar in wingspan to commercial traffic.
The formation was not using Mode S transponders, according to a review of records at the Flightradar24 air-traffic-tracking site. Radio transmissions apparently associated with the flight were intercepted and recorded, possibly including the call sign "Sienna."
An Air Force representative in Washington responded to queries about the aircraft, and about flight activities at that time and place, with the statement "I have nothing for you," a phrase long associated with responses to queries about classified programs and operations. The 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., home of the Air Force's B-2 fleet, says that none of its aircraft were operating near Amarillo on March 10. However, test units have also flown B-2s.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_03_31_2014_p30-675221.xml
http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/mystery-aircraft-photographed-over.html
(Updated page)
QuoteUPDATE: Since the news has broke I've been contacted by reporters from many media outlets asking me the same question over and over again, "What do you think it was?"
Here's my educated guess:
Since the discovery of low observable (stealth) technology was quantified, it has been implemented across the board.
First there were stealth bombers, followed by stealth fighters and spy-planes, drones, stealth ships and because of the bin Laden raid we now know stealth helicopters exist.
But if you look at the list of stealth applications, there's one military mission that stealth has supposedly never been applied to; a covert way to quickly airlift a large number of troops and equipment into a battle zone or unfriendly country without the enemy ever being the wiser.
The answer to the question "What's missing from this picture?" is a stealth transport.
-Steve Douglass
@Wartoad,
Thanks for the update.
That is an interesting speculation,
the timing is right.
I wonder if Russia noticed?
Yet?
I could see the application of a stealth trasport. Fly 30 troops in unseen, have them HALO(High Altitude Low Opening parachute technique) out to the target ground. Lower risk than a low altitude and louder stealth helecopter. The military loves it's toys.
Yep, spot on.
Quote from: WarToad on April 01, 2014, 08:07:25 PM
The military loves it's toys.
Indeed, just wish they would finally sport out
one those black triangles.
;)
(http://www.ehdwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/b2-spirit-and-f15-eagles-mac-wallpaper.jpg)
Hi Zorgon,
Maybe just my phone but the image you posted is not showing up.
LSWONE.
Doesn't have the same rear silhouette, Z; the B2 is notched on the rear, the pic in the OP appears to have a straight line contour...
just sayin'
seeker
I looked at that I tried to line up that craft with the blur LOL Just didn't have the energy
The bottom enhancement though is wrong it is way more triangular than the original
I will try again to match it up but in the blue close up you can see the bulges in the center and the plane looks like its banking
Since the B2 is commonly accompanied by two planes and since the B2 is no secret, it seems more likely to me that it was a B2 flying in the open like that
They DO NOT test new prototypes over the cities That is what Nellis is for :D
I will try later to get a better clip
Anyhow that is my opinion... I have been wrong a few times :D
Quote from: LSWONE on April 02, 2014, 04:00:58 AM
Hi Zorgon,
Maybe just my phone but the image you posted is not showing up.
LSWONE.
Maybe you don't have clearance BWHAHAHAHAHA :P
try this
http://www.ehdwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/b2-spirit-and-f15-eagles-mac-wallpaper.jpg
Quote from: zorgon on April 02, 2014, 05:19:25 AM
Maybe you don't have clearance BWHAHAHAHAHA :P
try this
http://www.ehdwallpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/b2-spirit-and-f15-eagles-mac-wallpaper.jpg
Thanks. Maybe I got fired and didn't know it! :-)
Has to be one of ours :D Its triangle and has a contrail
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t31.0-8/p600x600/1556313_10203259210632271_660579146_o.jpg)
Merged... Merge comments removed
I do believe it is one of ours Z; but it doesn't have the right contour for a B-2; closest thing that comes to mind with that square flat tail is a B-58; but I don't see the protruding pods the '58 had in front of the wings' leading edge...
more to ponder and chase...
seeker
Could be the Blackswift. Been talking about that for years.
Intelgurl at ATS has a huge long going thread on it
In fact I would like to glean the info from that thread
Quote from: zorgon on April 04, 2014, 11:32:48 PM
Intelgurl at ATS has a huge long going thread on it
This one?
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread299174/pg1
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2607840/Is-THIS-SR-72-spy-plane-Mystery-aircraft-spotted-flying-Kansas-just-weeks-seen-Texas.html
QuoteIs THIS America's newest top-secret spy plane? Clearest picture yet of mystery aircraft spotted flying over Kansas just weeks after being seen in TexasA new image shows a mysterious aircraft flying over Kansas
The jet appears to be the same one that was spotted over Texas last month
Photographer Jeff Templin says it may have been as high as passenger jets
A retired Marine previously said the mysterious plane is the SR-72
The SR-72 is designed to cross entire continents in less than an hour
Developers at Lockheed Martin say the plane could be operational by 2030
A new photo of a mysterious flying object over Kansas has been revealed.
It appears to be the same aircraft as one that was snapped soaring over Texas last month.
The exact identify of the aircraft remains a mystery, but rumours abound that it could be a secret jet.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/18/article-0-1D2E08D100000578-981_634x421.jpg)
Quote'The photo is grainy because it was taken with a hand-held maxed-out 400mm telephoto lens through a cloud layer and then it was severely cropped to bring it up even close,' says Jeff Templin, who took the photo on 16 April.
'There is no way to know the altitude and no way to judge its size as there is no point of reference.
'My sense of it with the naked eye was that it was quite high, at least the altitude passenger jets cruise over but if it were smaller like a "drone" it could conceivably have been lower and smaller.'
The Aviationist speculates that the plane could be a RQ-180 stealth drone or a prototype of America's next generation long range strike bomber (LSRB).
They, too, are unsure if it is the same plane as the one spotted previously
A retired Marine with nearly two decades of aviation experience stepped forward with a compelling theory about the mysterious plane that was spotted flying over Texas last month.
Clear Photo of Unidentified Triangle Over Wichita Kansas QuoteA clearer photo of the mysterious unidentified flying object in Texas has surfaced. The image—enhanced above—clearly shows a boomerang-shaped blended wing object with two exhaust nozzles that seems clearly different from a B-2 bomber. It was "completely silent" and did "severe 180 degree turns in the sky in the shape of an S." ......
"Right over the city, clear as a bell. Anyone that was looking up would have seen it. You don't usually see military or even civilian aircraft's jets that leave contrails making those kind of severe departures off of the given route.
[It was] Absolutely silent, no sound.
When I put it on my computer and processed them, I was surprised to see this triangular shape that is not like anything you typically see. It was one of ours or at least man made for sure, so unidentified yes, but alien, no."
(http://i0.wp.com/beta.ksn.com/sites/default/files/sites/10/2014/04/UFO-pic.jpg)
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/clearer-photo-of-mysterious-ufo-taken-in-1564513147
B-2 Spirit or new Mysterious Stealth Plane? New image of triangular shaped plane emerges A new image taken in February seems to show the same mysterious plane photographed over Texas last month.
Quote
On Mar. 10, 2014 Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett took the famous photographs of three mysterious planes flying at very high altitude over Amarillo, Texas.
The images they took showed what looked like an almost boomerang shaped plane, equipped with two engines (or at least two exhaust nozzles).
Noteworthy, something quite similar was spotted in February this year in Wichita, Kansas.
As reported by KSN, Jeff Templin, an amateur photographer who was taking pictures of wildlife back in February, shot a silent triangular shaped plane leaving what looked like an unusual contrail.
The top image is a crop of the photo Templin took from the ground back then.
Is this the same plane spotted over Texas by Douglass and Muskett or is it just a B-2?
Even though we can't be 100% sure, the above image (click here for a higher resolution version) doesn't seem to show a B-2 Spirit, even if the shape can be distorted by reflection, distance, and several other factors
http://theaviationist.com/2014/04/17/new-image-triangular-mystery/
That does not look like a B-2 in my opinion. Not at all.
Is it the same one as this?
http://www.thelivingmoon.com/forum/index.php?topic=6499.msg92388;topicseen#new
Quote from: spacemaverick on April 19, 2014, 12:25:05 AM
That does not look like a B-2 in my opinion. Not at all.
On another forum someone was saying that's a Boeing Phantom Ray.
QuoteIs it the same one as this?
http://www.thelivingmoon.com/forum/index.php?topic=6499.msg92388;topicseen#new
It's the same photo, only rotated. :)
Quote from: ArMaP on April 19, 2014, 12:42:18 AM
On another forum someone was saying that's a Boeing Phantom Ray.
It's the same photo, only rotated. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q-b8IcvC-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q-b8IcvC-0&feature=player_detailpage
Quoteboomerang-shaped blended wing
Yes, it is not a triangle