On July 23, 1992, Rice told reporters, "I can tell you that there is no airplane that exists remotely like that which has been described in some articles." On another occasion, Rice called Aurora "fantasy." On October 30, 1992, Rice said, "The system that has been described in those articles does not exist. We have no aircraft program that flies at six times the speed of sound or anything up close to that."
Such explicit denials did not stop believers from quickly trying to cast doubt on Rice's honesty. It was suggested that "We" meant the air force, while Aurora was operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which controlled spy satellites. "And maybe," one believer continued, "Mach 5 or Mach 8 is 'not anything up close to' Mach 6 by Secretary Rice's reck-oning." The believer concluded, "This particular exchange of question and answer typifies the Air Force's practice of avoiding any direct and unambiguous denial."[779]
The suggestion that the NRO operated Aurora was later denied by the NRO's director, Martin C. Faga:
If there ever was a follow-on to the SR-71, that aircraft could be assigned to the NRO… in the case of a hypersonic vehicle, as has been widely speculated — by which I mean a vehicle faster than an SR-71—Mach 3, 4, 5, 6, 8—we at NRO have no such vehicle [flying] or under development. I'm not aware of any such activity, and the Air Force has said the same. I don't know what the Navy, Army, NASA or anybody else is doing. I'm just saying that NRO doesn't have an "Aurora" or anything else like it. It's a fascinating mystery.[780]
The air force also examined the "skyquakes." Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory was hired to analyze a seismic recording from Catalina Island. Lincoln Lab concluded it was from an F-14 on a test flight off the California coast. The believers were quick to attack the F-14 explanation; one said, "This explanation doesn't hold water" and called it "an attempt to discredit the 'skyquake' evidence." They also quoted Edwards Air Force Base as saying a sonic boom from a jet at 50,000 feet only extended about twenty-five miles.[781]
Aurora also became a political issue during 1992. The October-November 1992 issue of Air and Space magazine published an essay on Black aircraft. Written by Steven Aftergood and John E. Pike of the Federation of American Scientists, it claimed: "In fact, it appears that Black aircraft programs are designed only to penetrate Congressional airspace. That is, wasteful, dangerous, or highly speculative programs will have a much better chance of being funded by Congress if they are highly classified."
The secrecy surrounding Black airplanes was described as exceeding all reasonable justification, not being effective, blocking technological development, and "promoting fraud and abuse."[782] Aftergood had earlier said, "It inhibits the oversight process and it puts these programs outside the sphere of democratic activity."[783]
The editor of a private newsletter echoed these remarks, saying,
[Missing part]
The real reasons behind the secrecy is becoming very clear to the American taxpayer. The cost of these programs must be enormous and the Pentagon is afraid that Congress might suffer an attack of sticker shock when they find out how much money the military is vacuuming out of the nation's treasury. It could also be that buried in the budgets of black programs could be evidence of monetary fraud, kickbacks and wasteful expenditures. It seems that many of these programs are designed not to evade radar but to evade accountability to Congress and the American taxpayer.[784]
Following Bill Clinton's election as president, some saw Aurora as a test of his "pledge for a more open government — and as a means of gauging his appetite for tackling the secretive, deep-rooted and conservative intelligence community."[785]
THE NORTH SEA SIGHTING
At the end of the year came word of the most important Aurora sighting yet. The December 12, 1992, issue of Jane's Defence Weekly carried an account of a sighting by a North Sea oil-drilling engineer. The witness said the sighting took place in August 1989 from the drilling rig Galveston Key.
The day was bright, with a hazy layer at high altitude. The sky above the rig was part of the Air-To-Air Refueling Area 6A. The witness reported seeing a KC-135 tanker, two F-llls, and a triangular aircraft a little larger than the F-llls flying north. The unknown aircraft appeared to be refueling from the KC-135. It was black and had a 75-degree sweep angle. The witness was also a twelve-year veteran of the Royal Observer Corps and had been a member of its international aircraft recognition team. The witness made a sketch but did not send it into Jane's until the fall of 1992, after the publicity following the "skyquakes." (In 1989, he was also still in the Royal Observer Corps and subject to the Official Secrets Act.)[786]
The sweep angle was nearly identical with that of McDonnell Douglas hypersonic designs studied between the late 1960s and the 1980s. The aircraft was estimated to be 90 feet long, with a 45- to 50-foot wingspan. As with most of the speculated Aurora designs, it was described as burning liquid methane.[787] The new Aurora shape was widely publicized, with a major feature story in Popular Science, and shorter articles in other magazines.[788]
In mid-1993, a short book on Aurora was also published.
Reports also claimed sightings had been made at Kwajalein Atoll and that a loud sonic boom, which had caused damage in Holland, was from Aurora. Other sonic booms were heard near the White Sands Missile Range.
It was said that they came from the Aurora. It was also said that Royal Australian Air Force aircraft had tracked and chased aircraft flying above Mach 6.[789]
As the reports continued, believers became more strident in their attacks on the air force's denials. The Aurora book's first chapter was titled,
"Would Your Government Lie to You?" One article began with the statement that "the Pentagon would like you to believe" Aurora does not exist, but people following the story "know differently." It went on to say that
"the Pentagon continues to deny the existence of the Aurora. In an attempt to protect its black projects the USAF has gone so far as to tell the world's leading aerospace experts that they are seeing things that aren't there, similar to the way they handled UFO sightings."[790]
THE TESTOR'S AURORA MODELS
As with the F-19, the Testor Corporation released two models of the Aurora in November 1993. The "SR-75 Penetrator" was their version of the XB-70-like Aurora. Launched from its back was the "XR-7 Thunderdart."
This Aurora was loosely based on the North Sea sighting.[791]
And as with the F-19 kit, the idea of a Black airplane at your local hobby store attracted press attention. The CBS Evening News carried a report on November 11, 1993. Dan Rather introduced the spot by saying, "Does the United States military have a new Top Secret — or at least used-to-be Top Secret — mystery plane… there have been several sightings, but not where you'd expect." The story began: "Presenting Aurora, the Pentagon's secret weapon… For years it was only whispered about. Now you can see it with your own eyes, right next to the '57 Chevy at this year's model and hobby show." After showing a copy of the Rice letter, the reporter asked, "So who are you going to believe: the Secretary of the Air Force or the toy maker?"[792]
When the air force was asked about the kits, they responded, "We're not saying no comment — we're saying such a plane does not exist."[793]
THE END OF AURORA
By late 1993 and early 1994, numerous articles about Aurora had been published. There was a qualitative difference with the stories about the stealth fighter published during the 1980s, however. The nightly flight activities at TTR clearly indicated the stealth fighter was operational years before the public announcement. These were rich in details, many of which, in retrospect, proved correct. The Aurora stories, in contrast, were fragmentary and stood in isolation. The Aurora had a distinctive sound and left a distinctive contrail, both of which could be heard and seen for many miles.
Yet, months would pass between sighting reports. Among some believers, the suspicion grew that all was not well with the Aurora project.
After claiming that secrecy "has often been a
cover" to hide problems, one journalist suggested Aurora had performance shortcomings, such as range, had suffered cost overruns, or had been designed for an obsolete nuclear war fighting mission.[794]
John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists said in December 1993, "My current theory is that they spent $10 billion to $15 billion on a very fast, very high-flying airplane." Only "one or two prototypes" of the Aurora were built, however. Plans to build several dozen production Auroras were abandoned by the NRO in 1989—90. Pike continued, "The main secret they have on the Aurora is not that it exists, but that they spent $15 billion and don't have anything to show for it."[795]
Aurora was depicted as yet another Black project that had ended in an expensive failure. Even as Aurora faded away, attacks on Black projects became more strident. The editor in chief of Popular Science wrote in the March 1994 issue that the $14.3 billion Black budget was "beyond the scru-tiny of even the most powerful congressional oversight."[796] The same issue quoted "a congressional source," described as having "the highest level of security clearance," as believing that "a mysterious technology development effort" had been under way for several years at Groom Lake. He added, "This is not a part of the official program of the U.S. government. I think this is some sort of intelligence operation, or there could be foreign money involved… It's expensive, and is immune to the oversight process. This defrauds the American government and people. You go to jail for that."[797]
The believers in Aurora express confidence the cover-up will end. "Sooner or later," one said, the "story will come out." He concluded, "Nothing thrives in the dark, except ghosts, mushrooms, and bad decisions."[798]
This is the story of Aurora, as told by some of the foremost magazines, newspapers, public interest groups, and aerospace writers. Reading through the inch-thick stack of material, one might think the case for Aurora was proven beyond a reasonable doubt — that the United States had, in fact, built a remarkable aircraft, unlike any the world has ever seen, then systematically lied about it. So one might think.
But perhaps the reader can think of another case where sightings were also made by "reliable witnesses" of remarkable vehicles, capable of speeds and maneuvers beyond those of conventional aircraft. These include 1,700-mph speeds, at a time when manned supersonic flight had not yet been achieved, and right-angle turns. These objects also showed a wide range of shapes and sizes. In that earlier case, the air force also denied the sightings were valid, saying they were of conventional objects that had been misin-terpreted. In that earlier case, the believers also accused the air force of lying, slandering witnesses, and covering up. Much time was spent examin-ing official statements for any inconsistencies. When a university study supported the air force position, it was also accused of being part of the cover-up — the air force cover-up of unidentified flying objects.
AURORA DOES NOT EXIST, ELVIS IS DEAD — ACCEPT IT
Although many people have said that they have seen or heard Aurora in flight, there is only one person who has publicly claimed to have seen Aurora close up on the ground. This person is named Robert S. Lazar. On May 1, 1993, Lazar said about Aurora:
The Aurora I did see once on the way out there, and the only reason I say it's Aurora is, I was told by Dennis in the bus. And it makes an unbelievably loud sound, and I think when I heard it I said, it sounds like the sky is tearing. From what I understand, it operates on a liquid methane powered engine. A lot of this information has gotten out in Aviation Week and Popular Science. If this in fact was Aurora, it was certainly a strange aircraft. It looks like, if you know what the old X-15 looked like — a very long slender craft with short wings on it — and a square exhaust that had little vanes in it… it's quite large. It's a really overgrown thing.[799]
Robert Lazar also claims to have seen nine captured alien flying saucers.[800]
This is not an exception — the whole Aurora story has been pushed by a tight circle of Black airplane buffs, aerospace writers, and believers in various far-out UFO-conspiracy theories.[801] One person stated, "The Aurora tales came straight out of UFO groups, and a lot of [the published] material… does too."[802] Some of those involved in spreading the "AUFOrora" stories are known to believe that the air force has "reverse engineered" the captured UFOs in order to build Aurora.[803] They also believe that the air force has perfected optical invisibility (a Romulan cloaking device), antigravity, and time dilation.
The original 1990 articles, including the "flattened diamond" Aurora, were based on the stories of an individual with no connection to the aerospace industry, but who claims that he was hired to design several disk-shaped, antigravity-powered flying saucers for a shadowy military-industrial group. He claims that he was once taken out to a test site to see the diamond-shaped Aurora. He said it had steel wheels, like a Bonneville salt flats racer, because rubber tires could not withstand the very fast takeoff speeds it required. He also stated that a smell of burned carbon comes from the aircraft. This individual also claims to have found the cure for cancer.[804]
The April 20, 1992, NBC Nightly News story on Aurora had, as one of its sources, John Lear.[805] He also took the 1978 photo at Groom Lake which showed a MiG 21. John Lear is the son of Learjet designer William Lear.
He has also flown some 160 different aircraft and holds seventeen speed records set in the Learjet. John Lear also believed that in 1972-74, a huge underground base was built at Groom Lake. This was part of a secret treaty between the U.S. government and alien beings: in exchange for advanced alien technology, the U.S. government would allow the aliens to operate freely on the earth. Lear also believes that the aliens' digestive system has atrophied and does not function. To survive, the aliens take organs from humans and cattle, mix them with hydrogen peroxide, then spread the mixture on their bodies. He also stated, "It became obvious that some, not all, but some of the nation's missing children had been used for secretions and other parts required by the aliens."[806]
The "light-in-the-sky" shown in the NBC report did not demonstrate remarkable maneuverability "like a flying saucer," as the report put it. It just seemed to hang in the night sky. It was the landing light of one of the 737s used to bring workers to Groom Lake each morning. It arrives at 4:45 A.M. every weekday. The UFO believers call it "Old Faithful" and consider it a captured flying saucer, flown by a human pilot.
The XB-70 Aurora sightings also have problems. The landing at the Helendale Airport is impossible for so large an aircraft. An airport directory lists it as having two runways, one 3,800 feet long, while the other is 5,300 feet long. Both of them are dirt runways. These runways are too short and, being dirt, would not be able to support so large an aircraft. The field also has no lights, tower, navigation aids, or instrument landing systems. The only fuel is Shell 80, 100LL, and Autogas. Liquid methane is not listed.[807]
The drawing of the XB-70 forward fuselage being loaded on a C-5 is also questionable. The witness did not get a good look at it, as the object was obscured by bright lights and obstacles. No cockpit canopy was seen. The drawing made it look much more airplanelike than the evidence would suggest. The air force officially stated that it was a radar cross section test article.[808]
The other XB-70 sightings can be put in perspective by an experience of the author. On January 12, 1993, the author saw the XB-70 flying at low altitude, heading west. It was in a steep bank, so its delta wing and long nose could be seen. The author was quite surprised, as he had evidence by this time that the XB-70 Aurora stories were not to be relied upon. At second glance, the plane proved to be an F-14 coming into NAS Miramar. Its wings were swept back, giving it a long nose-delta shape. The Helendale sighting could have been a home-built Long E-Z light aircraft.
Belief in Aurora itself has generated sightings — the T-38 trainers at Beale Air Force Base, used for chase work and pilot proficiency flights, were repainted in an all-black finish. One pilot said: "One twilight, I was flying in close formation with my wingman as we returned to base after a mission.
We had our landing lights on as we turned over the town on final and the base's switchboard lit up with calls from people inquiring if the 'Aurora' was arriving at Beale!"[809]
The photos of the doughnut-on-a-rope contrail has several internal inconsistencies. As the size of the lens (410mm) and the frequency of pulses (three hertz) are known, it is a simple matter to calculate the distance between each "puff" for a given altitude. This gives the speed of the aircraft.
When the calculations are done, they indicate that if the aircraft was moving at supersonic speed, the puffs would be shooting out several hundred feet from the central contrail. They each would be the size of a football field. This represents the loss of a huge amount of energy. Blowups of the […] me regularity or me" pulses breaks down. The contrail it-seir snows zigzags that are inconsistent with a very-high-speed object. This indicates it was from a much lower and slower aircraft.[810]
The circular contrails visible in the weather satellite photos were identified by several letter writers as being made by an E-3 AWAC aircraft flying a racetrack course.[811] It is an example of how any strange sight or sound would be credited to Aurora.
The North Sea sighting was of a KC-135, two F-111s, and a black triangle silhouetted against high clouds. The size of the Aurora was about that of the F-111s. The angle of an F-111 with its wings in the fully swept back position is 70 degrees. The undersides of F-111s are also painted black. In all probability, the Aurora was simply a third F-111 with its wings swept back. From far below, the nose and wings would blend together, and it would look like a black triangular flying wing.
READING BETWEEN THE LINES
This evidence of Aurora's nonexistence has been amassed from different sources over the past several years. Yet, even as the story was developing and spreading, it was possible to tell that belief in UFOs was closely connected with Aurora. The February 1988 Gung-Ho article on Aurora said,
Dark Eagles: A History of the Top Secret U.S. Aircraft Page 38