Looking back at "Aurora" and a new clue that it may really have existed.

 Way back in the 1990s there was a lot of speculation about a possible high-speed aircraft built secretly to replace the SR-71 Blackbird. There was even some evidence to support this, a series of "skyquakes" (in actuality sonic booms) over the western U.S. along with even stranger sightings of "donuts-on-a-rope" contrails (some I actually photographed) and sightings (some from trained aircraft identification spotters such as Chris Gibson ) of a highly swept-winged hypersonic aircraft seen flying in formation with other military aircraft.

This unicorn was dubbed "Aurora" after a mysterious line item that inadvertently was included in the 1985 U.S. budget, as an allocation of $455 million for "black aircraft production" in FY 1987.

"Funding of the project allegedly reached $2.3 billion in fiscal 1987, according to a 1986 procurement document obtained by Aviation Week. In the 1994 book Skunk Works, Ben Rich, the former head of Lockheed's Skunk Works division, wrote that the Aurora was the budgetary code name for the stealth bomber fly-off that resulted in the B-2 Spirit."

But the name Aurora stuck and although no official successor to the SR-71 was ever acknowledged, in 2017 according to Lockheed Martin they were developing the SR-72, colloquially referred to as "Son of Blackbird" as a hypersonic UAV concept intended for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform as a successor to the retired Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The company said the SR-72 test vehicle could fly by 2023. Coincidentally the "skyquakes" are back and the California coast is rattling again.

That said -was there ever an Aurora?

While doing my own research after my own sighting (and after a sighting of "Aurora" causes considerable stir in the media, a HF phone patch was intercepted by a military radio hobbyist that was particularly telling. See attached. This comes from my book "The Comprehensive Guide to Military Monitoring" published in 1994.

At the time (early 90s) no one really knew who (sic) "McMann" was mentioned in the radio intercept was but it was a short walk to surmise he is a person of note who was charged keeping the aviation press at bay when it came to the subject of "Aurora."

Decades later a friend pointed out they now know who "McMann" could very well be, His bio was found on the website of
Modern Technology Solutions.

It reads:

About Jesse T. (Tom) McMahan

Jesse T. (Tom) McMahan is Co-President and Founder of Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI) of Alexandria, Virginia. MTSI operates in several locations around the country with core capabilities in modeling and simulation of advanced aerospace systems, flight and ground test support, systems engineering, acquisition planning, operational concept development, and business and financial management.

He has been with MTSI since its founding in 1993 and has seen the company grow to over 200 employees. His specialty is in advanced technologies supporting aircraft survivability and weapons as well as in modeling and simulation of air defense systems.

Tom left UMR with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1966 and worked for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Maryland until 1968 when he entered the Air Force. His 25 year Air Force career was devoted to science and technology programs and weapon systems acquisition. The Air Force sent him back to UMR in 1972 for a Masters Degree in Engineering Management. He was fortunate to become involved in the early days of the stealth and counter stealth technology programs and spent the last 15 years of his career in that area. His final Air Force job was as Director of Electronic and Special Programs in the Pentagon.

Tom is now working about half time with MTSI. He is a past member and current ad hoc advisor to the Air Force Scientific Advisory board and sits on Boards of Directors and Strategy Boards of several small companies involved in advanced aircraft survivability technologies.

So does this mean that Aurora existed? Well, maybe not under that name but this finding (although decades late) does shed some light in a very dark corner of 90s conceptual military technology.

Maybe the SR-72 is the great grandson of Blackbird?

Air Force releases new B-21 Raider rendering

 WASHINGTON (AFNS) --

The Air Force released a new B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic with an accompanying fact sheet today. As with past renderings, this rendering is an artist’s interpretation of the B-21 design.

The new rendering highlights the future stealth bomber with Edwards Air Force Base, California, as the backdrop. The 420th Flight Test Squadron based at Edwards AFB will plan, test, analyze and report on all flight and ground testing of the B-21 Raider.

The B-21 program continues to execute the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase and is focused on scaling the manufacturing infrastructure and capacity across the industrial supply base to prepare for low rate initial production. A critical design review conducted in 2018 concluded the aircraft has a mature and stable design.

Designed to perform long range conventional and nuclear missions and to operate in tomorrow’s high end threat environment, the B-21 will be a visible and flexible component of the nuclear triad.

"Nuclear modernization is a top priority for the Department of Defense and the Air Force, and B-21 is key to that plan,” said Randall Walden, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director. “The built-in feature of open systems architecture on the B-21 makes the bomber effective as the threat environment evolves. This aircraft design approach sets the nation on the right path to ensuring America’s enduring airpower capability.”

The Air Force plans to incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit bombers to form a two-bomber fleet of B-21s and modified B-52s. The B-21 program is on track to deliver B-21s to the first operational base, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, in the mid-2020s.

Government releases UAP report - admit UAPs pose a threat to safety of flight but doesn't know what they can do about it.

As I read the un-classified executive summary one paragraph really jumped out at me: "UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. National Security.

As expected I really didn't expect any earth-shaking revelations from the report, but I didn't expect the admission (by the U.S. Government) that they really aren't in control of the airspace (that is on any given day) is filled with commuters, private pilots, civil pilots, military aviators and families flying to "Cabo" on vacation.

That said, what will the FAA and NTSB do if some day a UAP causes a disaster of epic proportions, knocking a jetliner filled with humans out of the sky?

That's what's sensational about this report. As always, the first step in solving a problem is admitting the problem exists. UAP s (or UFOs as they used to be called) do share our friendly skies and now that the report is out we have to deal with them. The authors of the report offer few solutions other than continuing to document the phenomena and collating data.

If tradition serves, this collection of data will be both classified and undertaken by agencies who do not have to report their findings to the public, such as the DIA, FBI,NRO,NSA, USAF, Us Navy/ONI National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the ODNI/National Intelligence Council as stated in the report. UAPs still carry the stink of UFOs and it's doubtful that solving the mystery of what they are won't be a top priority except if certain things happen (and have) such as sightings near nuclear ICBM sites, nuclear reactor sites, Air Defense Zones, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, restricted military air space (and in the worst case scenario) and coming close and endangering or causing havoc in commercial flight and trade lanes.

Maybe we can help .. 

If we (the public) really want to figure out what's going on in our skies it's time to get serious and educate ourselves. I suggest a civilian network similar to the ambitious but now dormant SETI AT HOME project. of trained investigators who can invest and use the proper high resolution and long lensed video equipment, who are more than familiar with flight tracking apps, aviation communications monitoring, aviation flight paths, military operation areas, military flight-test air space, air refueling tracks and becoming expert in identifying all civil and military aircraft types.

Armed with that knowledge the data should be logged, publicly shared, logically investigated, inviting critique critically analyzed, and most of all looking for patterns in the sightings.

It is only when we apply the techniques used by intelligence agencies and federal agencies will we begin to start to understand what these UAPS are.

So here's the methodology I use when there is a UAP sighting or report.

1. Rule out civil and military aviation flying in the area of the sighting by going to sites like FlightRadar 24 or ADS-B Exchange.

2. Take screen shots of anything flying in the sighting area at the time.

Log the time of the sighting and then look in the LiveATC archives for any communications recorded concerning the sighting from civil or military aircraft talking to air traffic control.

Download and archive the online recordings or (with a minimum investment) buy and learn to use a scanning receiver that can receive all the aviation bands including the military UHF military bands.

Set up your own around the clock recording system using a decent scanner, a good antenna and a program like Sound Studio or Audacity. You can find the frequencies) both for civil and military aviation) listed on Live ATC.

#3.Check to see if the sighting is near any military, government or nuclear facility by looking at aviation airspace maps. Familiarize yourself with your airspace, flight patterns and scheduled balloon launches including by your local weather service.

4. Photographers - invest in a good (at least 4k quality) camera with a good long lens. It doesn't have to be mega-expensive and can be entry level. I suggest a Nikon P1000 ( that has a permanently attached amazing 24mm to 3000mm zoom lens) which can be had for under $1,000 US or a Panasonic FZ-1000 that has a 24 to 600mm lens for under $700.

Invest in a tripod or learn how to use image stabilization while hand holding the camera. Don't expect to be a video professional straight out of the gate. Practice shooting by video taping aircraft flying by. Learn to use it and your image processing software.

5. Last but not least - eliminate the obvious before you publish your reports. Credibility is key. If you know how to shoot and how to document without prejudice "It has to be aliens" you've taken the first steps into establishing yourself as a serious UAP investigator. Share your data with the government AND the media. Last thing we need is a bunch of junk data muddying the waters.

6: Don't believe your own eyes or ears (until you've done a thorough investigation on your own) and have had other more critical and educated eyes look at the data.

7: Foremost - don't post anonymously. Video that is anonymous is usually fake video. If you shot it, researched it, vetted it then stand behind it and take credit for it.

In conclusion if there is a concerted effort, a shareable public (and vetted) public database that can be sifted through and mined to help define what UAPS are (and what they are doing up there) it will have to come from those of us who are really motivated to keep watching the skies.

- Steve Douglass

webbfeat@gmail.com

Government UAP un-classifed report is lacking ..

 

USA TODAY

A highly anticipated government report on unidentified aerial phenomena in American airspace was released Friday afternoon – and it's not as illuminating as some may have hoped. 

The report failed to offer firm explanations for many of the questions that raised the report's profile in the first place, such as whether unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, pose a national security threat or whether they offer evidence of extraterrestrial life. 

"Today’s rather inconclusive report only marks the beginning of efforts to understand and illuminate what is causing these risks to aviation in many areas around the country and the world,” said Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

The report, compiled by top intelligence and military officials, was commissioned by Congress after the Pentagon released three short videos in April 2020 depicting unidentified aerial phenomena. It was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Congress has increasingly begun taking these sightings more seriously.

“For years, the men and women we trust to defend our country reported encounters with unidentified aircraft that had superior capabilities, and for years their concerns were often ignored and ridiculed,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., vice chairman of the Senate committee. “This report is an important first step in cataloging these incidents, but it is just a first step.”

There have been 143 unexplainable reports of UFOs by U.S. government sources since 2004, and of those, 18 incidents – outlined in 21 reports – described unusual movement patterns or flight characteristics. 

"Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernable means of propulsion," the report reads. "In a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings."

The report also says that the sightings "tended to cluster" around U.S. training and testing sites, but they determined this is likely due to greater focus in those areas. 

2. Is national security threatened by their presence?

The report determined that the UFOs are a threat to flight safety, but their threat to national security is unknown. 

The task force has documentation of 11 instances in which pilots reported "near misses" with unidentified aerial phenomena, according to the report. Regarding national security, data is too sparse to indicate whether the UAPs belong to foreign adversaries. 

3. How many reports of UFO sightings didn't make the cut?

There was no standardized way to report the sighting of a UFO until March 2019, when the Navy established one, and the Air Force only adopted it in November 2020, according to the report. 

"The UAPTF (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force) regularly heard anecdotally during its research about other observations that occurred but which were never captured in formal or informal reporting by those observers," the report reads.

4. How have we studied these phenomena in the past?

According to the report, there are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of collecting information on UAPs, like social and cultural stigmas and sensor limitations. 

"Narratives from aviators in the operational community and analysts from the military and IC (Intelligence Community) describe disparagement associated with observing UAP, reporting it, or attempting to discuss it with colleagues," the report reads.

Some of the sensor limitations include the fact that they're designed to fulfill specific duties and may not be positioned well enough to distinguish the unknown objects from the known ones. 

Because of the lack of cohesive data, it's unclear how the UFOs were studied in the past. 

5. What are the next steps to fill in these gaps?

The report goes into some detail regarding the type of changes that will need to take place to effectively explain the unexplained objects, but the specifics of what will change are still fuzzy. 

Three key buckets of change needed to better study UFOs are listed in the report: standardizing reporting, consolidating data and deepening analysis; expanding the collection of data; and increasing investment in research and development. 

The UAP Task Force is already developing interagency "analytical and processing workflows" to ensure informed, coordinated collection and analysis of the data, according to the report. 

US Government on UAPs: They aren't U.S. black projects but can't rule out E.T. or China?

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — 

by: NOMAAN MERCHANT and ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press

Posted: Jun 4, 2021 / 09:45 AM CDT / Updated: Jun 4, 2021 / 04:08 PM CDT

Whatever or whoever they are, they’re still out there. U.S. intelligence is after them, but its upcoming report won’t deliver any full or final truth about UFOs.

The tantalizing prospect of top government intel finally weighing in — after decades of conspiracy theories, TV shows, movies and winking jokes by presidents — will instead yield a more mundane reality that’s not likely to change many minds on any side of the issue.

Investigators have found no evidence the sightings are linked to aliens — but can’t deny a link either. Two officials briefed on the report due to Congress later this month say the U.S. government cannot give a definitive explanation of aerial phenomena spotted by military pilots.

The report also doesn’t rule out that what pilots have seen may be new technologies developed by other countries. One of the officials said there is no indication the unexplained phenomena are from secret U.S. programs.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Findings of the report were first published by The New York Times.

The report examines multiple unexplained sightings from recent years that in some cases have been captured on video of pilots exclaiming about objects flying in front of them.

Congress in December required the Director of National Intelligence to summarize and report on the U.S. government’s knowledge of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs — better known to the public as unidentified flying objects or UFOs. The effort has included a Defense Department UAP task force established last year. The expected public release of an unclassified version of the report this month will amount to a status report, not the final word, according to one official.

A Pentagon spokeswoman, Sue Gough, declined Friday to comment on news stories about the intelligence report. She said the Pentagon’s UAP task force is “actively working with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the report, and DNI will provide the findings to Congress.” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, when asked about the report, said of the question at first, “It’s always a little wacky on Fridays.” But she added, “I will say that we take reports of incursions into our airspace by any aircraft — identified or unidentified — very seriously and investigate each one.”

The Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency have for decades looked into reports of aircraft or other objects in the sky flying at inexplicable speeds or trajectories.

The U.S. government takes unidentified aerial phenomena seriously given the potential national security risk of an adversary flying novel technology over a military base or another sensitive site, or the prospect of a Russian or Chinese development exceeding current U.S. capabilities. This also is seen by the U.S. military as a security and safety issue, given that in many cases the pilots who reported seeing unexplained aerial phenomena were conducting combat training flights.

The report’s lack of firm conclusions will likely disappoint people anticipating the report, given many Americans’ long-standing fascination with UFOs and the prospect of aliens having reached humankind. A recent story on CBS’ “60 Minutes” further bolstered interest in the government report.

Luis Elizondo, former head of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, said the one official’s claim that there was no indicated link to secret U.S. programs would be significant. But he called on the government to be fully transparent.

“I think that our tax dollars paid for information and data involving UFOs,” Elizondo said. “And I think it is the U.S. government’s obligation to provide those results to the American people.”

But skeptics caution that the videos and reported sightings have plausible Earth-bound explanations. Mick West, an author, investigator, and longtime skeptic of UFO sightings, said he supported the military looking into any possible incursion of U.S. airspace, especially by an adversary.

“People are conflating this issue with the idea that these UFOs demonstrate amazing physics and possibly even aliens,” West said. “The idea that this is some kind of secret warp drive or it’s defying physics as we know it, there really isn’t any good evidence for that.”

The Pentagon last year announced a task force to investigate the issue, and the Navy in recent years created a protocol for its pilots to report any possible sightings. And lawmakers in recent years have pushed for more public disclosure.

“There’s a stigma on Capitol Hill,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told “60 Minutes” in May. “I mean, some of my colleagues are very interested in this topic and some kind of, you know, giggle when you bring it up. But I don’t think we can allow the stigma to keep us from having an answer to a very fundamental question.”