Project Silver Bug 15 February 1955

This 30-page FOIA release of a formerly Top Secret "Project Silver Bug," developed at Wright-Patterson AFB, was made to Tim Cooper in October '97. All the "release information" is printed on the cover page for the reader to see. This "saucer" designed aircraft uses "gas turbine engines," a conventional power source. The report is a preliminary design document that includes sectional drawings, performance characteristics, weight breakdowns, control systems, and problem areas.


Project Silver Bug, 15 February 1955 (2.4 MB*)

209.132.68.98...

Very cool find!

Project SilverBug was actually a follow on to Project Winterhaven, which began in 1952. Project Winterhaven was originally started between the USAF and Thomas Townsend Brown for the purpose of developing an antigravity driven saucer craft capable of transatmospheric flight in excess of Mach 3.

Although I am not positive, considering the specification of SilverBug to use turbine engines, and the resulting AVRO car, I would suggest that SilverBug was designed as a diversion project, to take attention away from the main R&D project at Project Winterhaven.