BREAKING: Is the "Dorito" an electromagnetic attack aircraft? Bill Sweetman thinks so.

 Is the "Dorito" an electromagnetic attack aircraft? Bill Sweetman thinks so. 

By Steve Douglass 

For aviation enthusiasts, the story of a mysterious triangular aircraft nicknamed the “Dorito” has been quietly unfolding for more than a decade. Veteran defense writer Bill Sweetman suggests that this is no ordinary plane. According to him, it could be a highly classified U.S. Air Force electromagnetic attack aircraft — a stealthy platform designed not to drop bombs, but to slip deep into enemy airspace and blind radar systems before other aircraft even arrive.

The saga starts back in 2014. Over Kansas, amateur photographer Jeff Templin spotted a single silent triangular aircraft performing sharp S-turns in the night sky. Its straight trailing edge and angular form were unlike anything conventional, hinting at a next-generation black project. Around the same time, over  Amarillo, Texas, this journalist and captured three unusual aircraft in formation, their boomerang-shaped trailing edges making them immediately distinguishable from B‑2 bombers. 

UK photographer Dean Muskett was there too, photographing the same flight. The dual documentation from two experienced observers gave the sighting credibility and made the Amarillo event especially notable. Analysts at the time suggested there were actually two different black aircraft projects in operation: the Texas trio and the lone Kansas triangle, each with its own shape, flight behavior, and sound signature.

Fast forward to today, and the story gains another layer with recent infrared footage from the YouTube channel Uncanny Expeditions. This latest sighting shows a similar triangular aircraft, moving stealthily through the night sky. When Sweetman connects the dots — from the Kansas triangle to the Amarillo formation and now to the Uncanny footage — a clear picture begins to emerge: these are not random anomalies or misidentified B‑2s. They seem to represent a deliberate, ongoing program, possibly aligned with a long-standing USAF concept called Penetrating Stand-In Airborne Electronic Attack. This is a platform built to enter heavily defended airspace and jam or disable enemy radar networks, essentially carving a path for other strike aircraft.

(C) Anders Otteson

The shape of the Dorito itself makes sense for this role. A clean, triangular flying wing maximizes stealth, provides internal space for electronic systems, and keeps radar returns to a minimum. This is not about flashy dogfights or bombs dropping — it’s about subtle, decisive control over the electromagnetic spectrum, quietly shaping the battlefield from the shadows.

Sweetman also draws a parallel with the Navy's A-12 program from the 1960s.  The A-12 Avenger II was a proposed U.S. Navy carrier-based stealth attack jet designed by McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics in the late 1980s and slated to replace the A-6 Intruder. Known as the "Flying Dorito" for its triangular flying wing shape, the program was cancelled in 1991 due to severe cost overruns, technical challenges, and management issues after spending roughly $5 billion. In January 2014, the long-running litigation concluded with a settlement where the contractors agreed to pay the government $400 million total, a fraction of the $1.35 billion initially sought. Coincidentally, just after the lawsuit is when sightings of triangular aircraft sightings made a dramatic uptick. 

Concept art: A12 Avenger II

It’s worth wondering if the Dorito sightings we’re seeing now might have deeper roots in older black aircraft concepts, potentially going back to projects shelved or classified during the Cold War. One intriguing postulate is that after the Lockheed A-12 program lawsuits and patent disputes were settled, any design concepts or intellectual property that had been tied up might have been unlocked or released internally, giving engineers the green light to move forward with next-generation designs.

If those designs were “frozen” due to legal entanglements, it’s plausible that once the paperwork was cleared, elements of those concepts could have been dusted off, modernized, and incorporated into new triangular aircraft prototypes, like the ones Douglass, Muskett, Ottsen and others have documented.

This would help explain some intriguing aspects of the sightings:

• The consistency of the triangular planform across multiple sightings and decades, reminiscent of the A-12’s stealth-focused design.

• The presence of different aircraft variations — a trio over Amarillo and a lone triangle over Kansas — which could reflect different derivatives of a common conceptual family.

• The long gestation period: black projects often incubate for years before flying publicly, so something seen now could have roots in decades-old ideas.

In short, the Dorito might not just be a brand-new concept; it could be the modern evolution of triangle-based stealth designs first imagined during the A-12 era, finally made possible by modern materials, sensors, and electronic warfare requirements.

It’s speculative, but it fits the pattern: decades of triangular designs, multiple sightings, and the slow, stealthy emergence of a program that’s long been under wraps

Taken together, the pattern is compelling. From the Kansas triangle to the Amarillo formation, and now to the infrared footage from Uncanny Expeditions, the evidence paints a picture of a stealthy, sophisticated aircraft that might not drop bombs but could decisively switch off an enemy’s sensors before a fight even begins. It’s subtle, it’s secretive, and if Sweetman is right, it could be a game-changer in how the U.S. Air Force conducts modern air warfare.

Airspace Security and Cartel Drone Threats over El Paso- could it have spurred the TFR?

Airspace Security and Cartel Drone Threats over El Paso airspace. 

On February 10, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a significant Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over El Paso, Texas, effectively closing the airspace for what was initially scheduled as a 10-day period. The restriction designated the area as "National Defense Airspace" due to "special security reasons," grounding commercial and private flights at El Paso International Airport.

The exact nature of the "special security reasons" for the February 2026 El Paso TFR was not publicly detailed by the FAA before the restriction was lifted. While the airspace has been reopened, the sudden implementation and subsequent quick lifting of such a high-level restriction (National Defense Airspace) suggest a rapidly evolving security situation that was resolved or mitigated

Recent security concerns in the El Paso region may have centered on a massive increase in cartel-operated drone activity, leading to heightened surveillance and a recent Temporary Flight Restrictions over El Paso and parts of New Mexico that are unprecedented in nature. 

While drones are primarily used for surveillance and smuggling, the escalation to weaponized drones and the theoretical threat of MANPADS (Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems) has prompted the U.S. and Mexico to increase radar deployment and coordinate defensive strategies. [Cartels flew drones 60000 times along US border in six-month period.

High Volume Incursions: Cartels flew drones an estimated 60,000 times along the U.S. southern border in a recent six-month period, averaging over 300 incursions daily. [Cartels flew drones 60000 times along US border in six-month period](cite://https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/cartels-flew-drones-60000-times-along-us-border-in-six-month-period/)

Surveillance and Scouting: Drones are routinely used to spy on U.S. Border Patrol movements and to guide human smuggling groups across the border. [Border Patrol Reports That Cartels Are Using Drones to Guide ...](cite://https://www.airsight.com/en/news/border-patrol-cartels-drones-guide-migrants-us)

Weaponization: Criminal organizations have begun using drones to drop explosives on rivals and local populations in Mexico, raising fears of similar "kinetic" uses near the U.S. border. [US, Mexico to step up fight against cartel drones | Border Report](cite://https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/us-mexico-to-step-up-fight-against-cartel-drones/)

Countermeasures: The U.S. has begun deploying specialized radar systems specifically designed to track and counter small, low-flying drug-smuggling drones. [USA deploys radars to counter cartel drug drones](cite://https://militarnyi.com/en/news/usa-deploys-radars-to-counter-cartel-drug-drones/)

MANPADS Concerns:** While documented use of MANPADS against U.S. aircraft remains rare, the increasing sophistication of cartel weaponry has placed security agencies on high alert regarding anti-aircraft capabilities. [US, Mexico to step up fight against cartel drones

The airspace over El Paso and the surrounding border region is increasingly contested. Cartels utilize off-the-shelf drone technology to gain a tactical advantage over law enforcement. These drones are difficult to detect with traditional aviation radar because they fly low and have small radar cross-sections. TFRs are often implemented in these areas to protect law enforcement assets (such as helicopters or surveillance planes) from mid-air collisions with unauthorized drones or to secure the area during high-stakes interdictions. [New Mexico's Strategy Against Drug Cartels Using Drones - 

The Drone vs. MANPADS Threat
Drones: Current intelligence focuses on "suicide drones" or drones modified to carry small IEDs. These have been used extensively in Mexican states like Michoacán and Guerrero. [US, Mexico to step up fight against cartel drones |

MANPADS: The possibility of MANPADS (surface-to-air missiles) is considered a "high-impact, low-probability" threat. While cartels have been found with heavy weaponry (including .50 caliber rifles and rocket launchers), the deployment of MANPADS would represent a major escalation in their engagement with sovereign military and law enforcement aircraft.

While the number of drone incursions is well-documented, the specific intent behind every flight is not always clear. Some drones may be used by independent smugglers rather than major cartels. Additionally, reports of "bombs" being dropped near the border are often localized to internal cartel conflicts on the Mexican side of the river, though the proximity to U.S. soil remains a critical safety concern for El Paso residents and aviation. 

-Steve Douglass

U.S. Forces Strike ISIS Targets in Syria as Partners Sustain Pressure

 

February 4, 2026

Release Number 20260204-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted five strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria, Jan. 27 – Feb. 2, as partner forces continue to apply military pressure to ensure the enduring defeat of the terrorist network.

CENTCOM forces located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft.

“Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region and the world safer.”

U.S. and partner forces launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in response to a Dec. 13 attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra. The ISIS ambush resulted in the death of two U.S. service members and an American interpreter.

After nearly two months of targeted operations, more than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured. CENTCOM forces killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim during a deliberate strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16. The terrorist leader was directly connected with the ISIS gunman responsible for the Dec. 13 attack.

USCENTCOM

AVWEEK: U.S. Operation In Venezuela Shifts Defense Narrative

AVIATION WEEK:

The U.S. military action to snatch Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from inside a heavily guarded compound marked the culmination of decades of honing airborne special operations, with implications beyond the immediate mission.

Days after the nighttime raid, the U.S. boarded ships in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic, underscoring the Trump administration’s plan to exert more control over the region.

The U.S. military action to snatch Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from inside a heavily guarded compound marked the culmination of decades of honing airborne special operations, with implications beyond the immediate mission.

Days after the nighttime raid, the U.S. boarded ships in the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic, underscoring the Trump administration’s plan to exert more control over the region.

The initial operation unfolded over less than 5 hr., after U.S. President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead at 10:46 p.m. EST Jan. 2. U.S. Army special operations helicopters, including Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawks and Boeing MH-47 Chinooks, were backed by more than 150 combat and support aircraft including Lockheed Martin F-22s and F-35s, Boeing F/A-18s, EA-18s, B-1 bombers and a host of uncrewed aircraft. The secretive Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel appeared to be operating from Puerto Rico, along with many of the fighters and other assets.

All this, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said, came together “in time and place to layer effects for a single purpose: to get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise.”

Caine said the mission, called Operation Absolute Resolve, was approved weeks before but was waiting for a confluence of events to be executed. It built on decades of counterterrorism operations, he added. The U.S. had begun deploying ships and aircraft to the region in the late summer.

After Trump’s go-ahead, assets launched from 20 locations, Caine said. U.S. Army special operations and attack helicopters flew across the Caribbean Sea as low as 100 ft. above the water. Caine said the aircraft “maintained totally” an element of surprise until the helicopters arrived at the compound to capture Maduro at 1:01 a.m. EST.

The helicopters took fire; one was hit and sustained damage but was still able to fly and complete the mission, Caine said. The helicopters responded with “overwhelming force,” he noted. By 3:29 a.m. EST, the raiding party was back over the water to take Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault vessel.

Central to the operation was the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) unit, set up in the wake of the disastrous Iran hostage rescue mission in 1980 known as Operation Eagle Claw. The secretive unit has since taken part in various operations, including the effort to depose Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega that ended in his surrender in January 1990, as well as the ill-fated 1993 mission to catch Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in which several unit members died. The unit was heavily involved in Afghanistan starting in 2001, culminating in the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden.

The implications of the raid on Caracas go far beyond Venezuela. Russia’s war in Ukraine had put into doubt the viability of helicopter operations on the modern battlefield because of the proliferation of man-portable surface-to-air missiles, other air defenses and explosive-laden loitering drones.

However, the U.S. action in Venezuela demonstrates that an effective helicopter raid into contested environments remains possible when combined with effective airpower and air defense suppression.

The U.S. mission also raises questions about Russian and Chinese military equipment critical to Venezuela’s defenses. Only weeks earlier, standing before state TV cameras on Oct. 2 in Caracas, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino exuded confidence even as U.S. naval, air and special forces massed in the Caribbean region, aimed squarely at his country.

On that autumn day, Venezuelan air defense radars—including some of China’s and Russia’s most advanced systems—had detected stealthy F-35Bs about 46 mi. north of the country’s coastline, he said, noting that they were flying at 35,000 ft. and 400 kt.

“We are watching you,” Padrino added. “And I want you to know that this does not intimidate us.”

The U.S. raid also came less than two months after the Venezuelan Air Force flexed its capabilities. Outsiders had speculated that the service’s aging fleet of U.S.-supplied Lockheed F-16A/Bs and more recently acquired Sukhoi Su-30MK2 fighters could no longer pass an airworthiness evaluation. But Venezuela deployed detachments of both fighters to La Orchila Island, 160 mi. north of Caracas, on Nov. 14. The Su-30MK2s were observed carrying Kh-31A anti-ship missiles over the Caribbean, even as the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group operated there.

But Venezuela’s Air Force, still considered among the most capable in Latin America despite its age, proved no match for the U.S. aerial strike package. Outmatched in almost all respects against F-22s and F-35s, the Venezuelan fighters could have challenged the U.S. intruders in the sky with their Russian air-to-air missiles or threatened the raid’s enabling support ships at sea with Russian or Iranian anti-ship missiles. There is no evidence that Venezuelan fighters scrambled during the event.

On the ground, Venezuela’s largely Chinese- and Russian-supplied equipment also failed to react. In video clips posted on social media, a single, arcing streak of flame from the ground to the air signaled the launch of a man-portable air defense missile—perhaps one of the 5,000 Igla missiles and launchers that Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, ordered from Russia two decades ago. But there was no sign of Venezuela’s surface-to-air missile systems, which include Russian mobile S-300s and Buk-M2s. Caine said that U.S. cyber and space systems helped neutralize Venezuela’s air defense threat. The strike package also included radar-jamming and destroying EA-18Gs.

“Seems those Russian air defenses didn’t quite work so well, did they?” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quipped Jan. 5.

The raid marked another setback for Moscow’s reputation as an arms supplier. Last year, Israel meticulously took down Iran’s air defenses, which were built around Russian equipment.

It is possible to make too much out of the results of the raid based on public data. Venezuela acquired China’s vaunted JY-27A counter-stealth radar in 2019 exactly to deter this sort of attack. China’s export rules could degrade the capability released to export customers. In any event, Beijing rolled out the latest domestic version, dubbed the JY-27V, in May 2025. Venezuela’s air defense operators may not be proficient with it—or perhaps they merely decided that discretion is the better part of valor in the face of overwhelming U.S. airpower.

During a press conference at Mar-A-Lago on Jan. 3, Trump said the U.S. military was poised for another, larger round of strikes if needed.

The U.S. followed the operation on Jan. 7 with the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 oil tanker—renamed and re-flagged as a Russian vessel while at sea—in the North Atlantic. That seizure involved at least one Army special operations Boeing MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, according to images provided to Russian news outlet RT. It appears the MH-6 operated from a U.S. Coast Guard cutter that had been shadowing the SHOP,

BREAKING - In a stunning midnight raid, U.S. forces capture Nicolás Maduro

U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President Maduro

President Trump announced that U.S. forces had conducted a large-scale strike in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Flores, and were transporting them to New York to face drug and weapons charges.

Trump said the United States would govern Venezuela “until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” He provided few details on how the country would be administered, saying only that it would be overseen by “a group,” and added that he was not opposed to deploying “boots on the ground.”

According to people briefed on the operation, American special operations forces captured Maduro with the help of a C.I.A. source within the Venezuelan government who had tracked his location in recent days. Trump said in a Fox News interview that Maduro and Flores were taken aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, a U.S. warship operating in the Caribbean, before being flown to New York.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military mission—named “Absolute Resolve”—was launched at the request of the Justice Department. Caine said U.S. warplanes disabled Venezuelan air defenses, allowing helicopters to enter Caracas, and that one aircraft was struck but remained operational. The operation involved 150 aircraft launched across the hemisphere, one of the most detailed accounts the U.S. government has released.

“He continued, ‘Overhead, the forces were safeguarded by aircraft from the United States Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Air National Guard. The aerial lineup included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, EA-18s, E-2s, B-1 bombers, and other support aircraft, along with numerous remotely piloted drones.’”

Trump said the Venezuelan military “knew we were coming” and was swiftly overwhelmed. He said no American service members were killed, although he had earlier suggested there were casualties.

The operation began in the pre-dawn hours around 2 a.m., with multiple explosions reported in Caracas and surrounding areas. Residents saw low-flying aircraft, marking the start of what officials called kinetic operations. By 4:17 a.m., Trump announced on social media that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country.

Trump described Maduro as “highly guarded” in a presidential palace “like a fortress,” though he never reached a safe room. U.S. forces were equipped with “massive blowtorches” to cut through steel walls if necessary. “It had what they call a safety space, where it’s solid steel all around,” Trump said. “He didn’t get that space closed. He was trying to get into it, but he got bum-rushed so fast that he didn’t make it. We were prepared.”

“Caine said, ‘We arrived at Maduro’s compound at 1:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, or 2:01 a.m. local time in Caracas. The apprehension team moved into the compound with speed, precision, and discipline, securing the area to ensure the safety of the ground force while apprehending the indicted individuals.

“He added, ‘Upon entering the target area, the helicopters came under fire and returned it with overwhelming force in self-defense. One aircraft was hit but remained flyable. As the president noted earlier, all aircraft returned safely, and the damaged aircraft stayed operational for the remainder of the mission.’

Caine told reporters that Maduro and his wife then surrendered and were taken into custody by the Justice Department, with no U.S. personnel casualties.

‘After securing the indicted individuals, the force prepared to depart. Helicopters were called in to extract the team, while fighter jets and remotely piloted aircraft provided overhead coverage and suppressive fire. Multiple self-defense engagements occurred as the force withdrew from Venezuela,’ he added.”

Preparation included practicing maneuvers on a full-scale replica of the building. “They actually built a house identical to the one they went into,” Trump added.

The operation took place in darkness, with Trump claiming that almost all the lights in Caracas were turned off. “This thing was so organized. They went into a dark space with machine guns facing them all over the place,” he said. At least seven explosions were reported, and the entire attack lasted less than 30 minutes.

Trump said a few U.S. personnel were injured during the operation, but he believed no one was killed. “A couple of guys were hit, but they came back and they’re supposed to be in pretty good shape,” he said. He added that no aircraft were lost, though one helicopter was “hit pretty hard.” “We had to do it because it’s a war,” Trump said.

Weather delayed the mission
Trump said the operation had been postponed for several days while waiting for cloud cover to clear. “The weather has to be perfect. We waited four days… and then all of a sudden it opened up and we said, go. It was just amazing,” he said.

Maduro’s current location
Trump said Maduro and Flores were flown by helicopter to a U.S. warship before being transported to New York to face charges. The Justice Department released an indictment accusing the pair of an alleged role in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Months of escalating actions
The raid marked a significant escalation from a series of U.S. strikes on vessels accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. At least 35 strikes had been carried out, reportedly killing 115 people. On Dec. 29, Trump said the U.S. struck a facility where drug-laden boats were loaded, with the CIA conducting a drone strike at a docking area allegedly used by Venezuelan drug cartels. This was the first known direct U.S. operation on Venezuelan soil since the strikes began in September..