Aurora Spyplane [Archive] - Israel Military Forum

aleksandr

05-15-2007, 05:29 AM

Aurora is most likely a failure. The project Aurora also referred to as "Senior Citizen" (most likely would have been its official designation) began in 1979 as a replacement for the SR-71. The aircraft was supposed to be a Mach 6 stealth surveillance (spy) aircraft. Many believed that the early retirement of the SR-71 was due to the introduction of the Aurora. However, as the return of the SR-71 from early retirement indicates Aurora was most likely a failure or needed more development.

Speculation about the Aurora began because of a Defense Department budgetary request that included an item for a plane called Aurora (seen below).
AIRCRAFT OTHER
PROCUREMENT PROCUREMENT
Aurora Special
Update Program
FY86 FY86

1980 50
1981 123
1982 554
1983 217
1984 656
1985 -- 928
1986 80 84
1987 (2,272) 851 ( 139 )
1988 -- 121
1989 126
1990 122
1991 105
1992 162
1993 176
Millions of Dollars
Numbers in parentheses are FY86 projections
All others are actual appropriations

Currently it is believed a new aircraft under the name of Aurora or Aurora II has entered service in 1996. According to a report issued in 1992, "... Aurora was being flown from a base in the Nevada desert to an atoll in the Pacific, then on to Scotland to refuel before returning to the US at night. Specially modified tanker aircraft are being used to top up Aurora's tanks with liquid methane fuel in mid-air... The US Air Force is using the remote RAF airbase at Machrihanish, Strathclyde, as a staging point... The mystery aircraft has been dropping in at night before streaking back to America across the North Pole at more than six times the speed of sound... An F-111 fighter bomber is scrambling as the black-painted aircraft lands, flying in close formation to confuse prying civilian radars."
Campbell, Christy, "Secret US Spy Plane is Kintyre's Dark Visitor," Sunday Telegraph, 26 July 1992

As of 1996 it is believed that the total development costs for Aurora might range from $4.4 billion to $8 billion, with the procurement of 24 aircraft costing an additional $10 billion to $24 billion.

In the end, a secret reconnaissance (spy) plane probably does exist, except unlike the widely held belief that it is a follow on to the SR-71, it is instead a follow on to the unsuccessful Senior Citizen project.

Here are some pictures of what the early Aurora (Senior Citizen), pre 1992, is supposed (speculated) to look like:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/aurora-s.jpg (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/aurora.jpg)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/mystery-s.jpg (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/mystery.jpg)

Here is a disputed photo of the aircraft:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/aurora_fake.jpg

Here is a model of the aircraft in the photo:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/f121-2-m-s.jpg (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/f121-2-m.jpg)http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/f121-3-m-s.jpg (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/f121-3-m.jpg)

John Jeffrey

10-04-2007, 10:48 PM

Will the Aurora Spyplane ever be revealed to the public?, It would be around 20ish years old since it came out in the 80s.

F-117's first combat mission was '83 (Or so we're told.) First public acknowledgement in '88. Can probably find similar delays to current inventory aircraft and come up with a guesstimate for when "Aurora" would be publicly acknowledged.

What's far more interesting, at least to me, is how old planes like the F-117 are thought of as high-tech when it's 25+ year old technology. What's really the state-of-the-art is what interests me. Even the "Aurora" wouldn't be it. Would say the real cutting edge aircraft are things we don't even have names for yet, or if we do it's begins with the letter 'U.' ;)