Meet the SR-91 Aurora: A Mach 5 spy plane that might change everything
The SR-91 Aurora Spy Plane might be genuine or not. What should we actually believe? – Be wary of media leaks and unconfirmed sightings; certain planes can achieve legendary status even when they don’t exist.
This is the situation with the enigmatic SR-91 Aurora spy plane.
Even though one witness claimed to have seen it in operation, this plane may have been nothing more than an artist’s representation of a notion. Let’s investigate whether the Aurora truly existed.
Why the SR-91 Aurora?
The Air Force was seeking a replacement for the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1980s. The Blackbird was thought to be expensive to operate, with SR-71 flight operations costing between $200 and $300 million each year.
If the SR-91 program existed, it was extremely secretive.
The term “Aurora” entered the public mind in 1985 when it appeared in a budget request for a “black program” surveillance plane. Could this be a reference to the SR-91 Aurora? This would have been a record-breaking plane, flying at more than MACH 5 and racing by at 90,000 feet. But what if Aurora was just another codename for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber? The B-2 flew in the late 1980s and was first unveiled in 1997. As a result, the name Aurora became a mystery.
SR-91: Better Described as a Hypothesis
DefenceAviation.com called it a “hypothesis.” The following comment was made by a British source, according to the website. “A British Ministry of Defence study issued in May 2006 refers to U.S. Air Force priority plans to create a Mach 4-6 very supersonic vehicle, but no clear evidence to establish the existence of such a programme has emerged.”
Was there ever an SR-91 prototype produced?
One eyewitness claimed to have observed a triangular-shaped plane flying in the late 1980s, which might have been a new reconnaissance plane. This sighting occurred in 1989 over the North Sea. Chris Gibson, an engineer, claimed to have witnessed it. But, once again, this may have been a B-2 or an F-117 Nighthawk. At the time, the US Air Force was flying the F-117. But, if it was an Aurora, it would have been impossible to identify because its estimated speed was MACH 5.
SR-91 Concept That Didn’t Live
If the Aurora was an idea, it was most likely scrapped.
The advent of spy satellites and reconnaissance drones rendered the SR-91 obsolete at the time, rendering a hypersonic spy plane unneeded. Despite the fact that the SR-72 Son of Blackbird spy plane development is already underway.
There is simply insufficient evidence to prove the existence of the SR-91 Aurora. It only seems logical to call it a hypothesis since Lockheed Martin Skunk Works was developing on a new surveillance plane. The technology to build a MACH 5 aircraft was available, but it did not make it through the design phase.
Skunk Works Director Denies SR-91 In Memoir
Speaking about Skunk Works, the National Interest highlighted a book by Ben Rich, a former Skunk Works director, who poured cold water on the Aurora idea.
“The word (Aurora) slipped out during congressional appropriations hearings, the media took up the Aurora item in the budget, and rumours circulated that it was a top-secret project given to the Skunk Works—to develop America’s first hypersonic jet.” “Even though Aurora was the codename for the B-2 competition funds, that narrative lives on,” he wrote.
The SR-91 Likely Never Existed
As you can see, Aurora was most likely only a notion. It was never acknowledged by the Department of Defense. The eyewitnesses were few and unreliable, and the actual flight most likely never occurred.
