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The SR-91 Aurora, rumored to replace the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, still lacks clear evidence of its existence.
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Despite a budget code name and a single alleged sighting in 1989, the program probably never advanced beyond the concept stage due to satellite and drone advancements.
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This claim persists despite various incidents and eyewitness reports that have intrigued aviation fans and defense analysts for years.
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In August of 1992, seismic activity recorded by the United States Geological Survey near the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California suggested sonic booms from a high-altitude supersonic aircraft, occurring consistently on Thursday mornings around 7 a.m.
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Jim Mori, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey at Caltech, mentioned in a 1992 interview with the LA Times, “It’s something that’s traveling through the atmosphere at several times the speed of sound in a generally northeasterly direction.”
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The nature of these reports fueled the fire of speculation that a classified aircraft, possibly the mysterious Aurora, was being tested out of the clandestine Groom Lake facility, more popularly known as Area 51.
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Notably, the Air Force denied these claims at the time.
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Aviation Week and Space Technology, another reputable aviation outlet, also reported an unusual aircraft sighting near Beale Air Force Base, in northern California, flying in formation with two F-117 Nighthawks and a KC-135 refueling tanker.
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Witnesses reported that this aircraft turned off its exterior lights upon joining the formation, and its engine emitted a sound likened to “air rushing through a big tube.”
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Additionally, reports of peculiar contrails, referred to as “doughnuts on a rope,” and associated with the Aurora program, suggested the use of an advanced pulse detonation engine. However, the feasibility of such technology for achieving hypersonic speeds remains doubtful.
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The concept of the SR-91 Aurora was further complicated by sightings in the U.K.
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In August of 1989, Chris Gibson, a trained airfield observer, reported seeing a triangle-shaped aircraft accompanied by two F-111s and a KC-135.
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In 2006, esteemed aviation writer Bill Sweetman concluded that evidence from 20 years of investigating budget discrepancies, unexplained sonic booms, and the Gibson sighting supported the program’s early existence.
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Ongoing research reveals indications of present-day operations.
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Recently, scrutinizing the Air Force operations budget uncovered a $9-billion undisclosed fund, potentially linked to a project such as Aurora.
Relevant articles:
– SR-91 Aurora: The U.S. Military’s Secret Mach 5 Plane?, The National Interest
– 8A Poseidon Multi Mission Aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force, canada.ca
– 91 Aurora aircraft, Defence Aviation