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| SR-91 Aurora. Image Credit: Creative Commons. |
International Military - Fighter planes are not only used on the battlefield to fight the enemy. But there are also special planes that are used to spy or spy on the opponent's movements. Some planes can take on a mythological status, even when the odds aren't there.
As is the case with the mysterious SR-91 Aurora spy plane belonging to the United States (US). This plane was probably nothing more than an artist providing the concept, though one witness said he saw it in action. In the 1980s, the Air Force was looking for something that could replace the SR-71 Blackbird.
Quoted from the National Interest, one of the defense systems developments that are said to exist but are not recognized by the United States is a spy plane dubbed the SR-91 Aurora. The SR-91 Aurora was never released or introduced to the public and even seemed to be covered up. However, many conspiracies are circulating that this hypersonic-speed spy plane is real.
Reporting from page 19fortyfive, the Blackbird is considered expensive to maintain because the flight operation of the SR-71 reportedly costs $200 to $300 million per year. The word 'Aurora' came into public awareness when the moniker appeared in the 'black program' spy plane budget request in 1985.
Could this issue refer to the SR-91 Aurora?
It would be a record-breaking aircraft, flying over MACH 5 and streaking at 90,000 feet. But what if Aurora instead became a different code name for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber? The B-2 flew in the late 1980s and was introduced in 1997. The name Aurora then became an enigma.
The Defense Aviation website calls it a 'hypothesis'. The website cites a British source with the following statement.
"The UK Ministry of Defense report released in May 2006 referred to US Air Force priority plans for the production of Mach 4-6 supersonic vehicles, but no conclusive evidence has emerged to confirm the existence of such a project."
An eye witness claimed to have seen a triangular-shaped plane that could be a new reconnaissance plane that flew in the late 1980s. This sighting occurred over the North Sea in 1989. An engineer named Chris Gibson claimed to have seen it. But then again, this could be a B-2 or even an F-117 Nighthawk.
The US Air Force was flying the F-117 at the time. But if it really was the Aurora, it would be difficult to spot because of its speed which is believed to be MACH 5. Another mysterious example attributed to Aurora's flight is the so-called 'sky quake' that occurred in Los Angeles in the early 1990s.
It is hypothesized that the Aurora could have caused this loud explosion when it flew out of Groom Lake, Nevada (also known as Area 51). That's pretty slim evidence that it was actually Aurora that caused the sky quake. If the Aurora was a concept, it might be scrapped.
What the SR-91 deemed redundant was the advancement of spy satellites and reconnaissance drones which made hypersonic spy planes unnecessary at the time. Whereas the SR-72 Son of Blackbird spy plane program is progressing now. There is not enough evidence to determine the existence of the Aurora SR-91.
It makes sense to call it a hypothesis because it only makes sense that Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is working on a new spy plane. The technology may exist to manufacture the MACH 5 aircraft, but that doesn't mean that it survives off the drawing board.
Speaking of Skunk Works, the National Interest cites a book by Ben Rich, who is a former director of Skunk Works and he pours cold water on the Aurora hypothesis. “Somehow the name (Aurora) was leaked during a congressional allocation hearing, the media picked up an Aurora item in the budget, and rumors emerged that it was a secret project assigned to Skunk Works, to build America's first hypersonic aircraft. That story endures to this day, even though Aurora was the code name for funding the B-2 competition,” he wrote.
So, as you can see, the Aurora seems like nothing more than a concept. The Department of Defense never acknowledged it. Eyewitnesses are rare and uncorroborated and the actual flight likely never took place.
Reported by the National Interest, the SR-91 Aurora hypersonic spy plane is believed to have a unique shape like a triangle. In the 1990s there were several Americans who claimed to see a triangular-shaped plane passing by at such a fast speed. Vibrations like a plane about to take off were also felt around the Los Angeles area.
In 1989 in the North Sea, again seen the appearance of a plane with a triangular shape and made rumors about the presence of the SR-91 Aurora continue to spread. However, until now the US has vehemently denied ever having a hypersonic spy plane. Some theories argue that the SR-91 Aurora is not airworthy and that its duties can now be replaced by drones or unmanned aircraft.