RAF Machrihanish Aurora Spyplane

Originally posted by Zaphod58
This is another one of the black projects that no one knows if it exists or not. The thinking is that it was a modified, upgraded XB-70. The XB-70 was supposed to be a high speed bomber, capable of flying at Mach 3 speeds. It was a rather impressive airplane, but suffered the loss of one airframe after a midair collision with a chase plane during a test flight. As far as Brilliant Buzzard, it's an impressive idea, but as far as it actually flying, nobody not involved in the project knows or if they do they aren't talking.

XB-70

external image

Mod Edit: Resized Image

[edit on 11/26/05 by FredT]

What?? The XB-70 has long since been out of commission, not only because of its 2 crashes, but it was very unstable, one of the remaining two or three i think is at the research and development hanger at the USAF muesuem at wright-patt, i have seen it with my own eyes, and let me tell you, that is one big mfker.

I was talking about Brilliant Buzzard. The rumor is that it was based on the XB-70 and looks similar to it.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
I was talking about Brilliant Buzzard. The rumor is that it was based on the XB-70 and looks similar to it.

oh ok, sorry

Try this site

www.dreamlandresort.com...

Maybe this 'Aurora' is an XB-70 with the fuselage shortened leaving it the shape of a triangle

The plane looks an awful lot like the post by Browne. See hyperlink. But I belive it was a little shorter.

www.islandone.org...

Browno not Browne

There is a photograph of the Aurora getting escorted by two F-111s and a KC-135 Tanker in front of it. I noticed the Black Triangle on the picture has some turned up wingtips. Was this plane shorter than the one on the picture leaving it the shape of a triangle? What colour was it? Was it daylight? Did it have rocket engines?.

What did you work as at the base/your time in the Air Force?

Some people say the F-19 possibly does exist and is sometimes resembled to the Aurora. I guess the picture with the Lifting Body and the 'Blackhorse' could be a step closer to finding out the existence out there!

Looks like we have found a key answer to the Aurora!





[edit on 1-12-2005 by Browno]

If that plane you seen was shorter than the one on the image, It could look like this one, It was only 30ft long and its wingspan was 20ft,
The X-20 was designed for Hypersonic speeds.

www.fantastic-plastic.com...

I guess the Aurora/F-19 looks like the model i posted.

Jeffers, Could you draw what you saw of this plane?, At least what you could remember.



[edit on 27-12-2006 by Browno]

Don't think that US Navy SEALs were used as security guards, don't think they would be impressed! They would have been used for insertion into enemy rear lines during a war with Russia and remember during the time they were stationed there, there was a US Navy installation at Holy Loch which housed submarines so the chances are they could be inserted via submarine. As for the Vulcans they were not stationed at Mac, but Mac would have been used as a dispersal site like so many other airfields during the 'Cold War'. As for the underground facility this could be feasible because the rock in Western Scotland is mainly Granite and would make an excellent place for a bunker, such as Cheyenne Mountain. The only arguement against this is the fact that it would take a huge civil engineering job to create an underground facility to house anything, and I don't think this has been mentioned before on this site!

The SEALs weren't mere security guards. They were there for multiples reasons and also to help to act as an assault team to help defend the many nuclear facilties in central Scotland. Destroying one key facility would have endangered up to 3 million people and put many smaller bases into decontamination mode.

The west coast of Scotland was also a great training ground due to the extreme climates and unforgiving landscape. The location coupled with a small, sympathetic local population happy to have customers has ensured that the base often gets... err... visitors.

'Mac' is a great hiding place, having been out there a few times the geography really has to be experienced. Even looking on Google Earth you get a sense of the incredible remoteness of it all.

I don't even think that Navy Seals had anything at all to do with the security at RAF Macrahanish. Just remember that Special Warfare Units of any kind do not guard military facilities. Do you ever see SAS or SBS troops guarding military installations? These guys are much more of an asset that any security guard. One of the biggest things to think about about the security of RAF Machrahanish is the RAF bit, it belongs to the MoD and would be guarded by MoD and RAF Police. No matter who is based or stationed there, even the American bases in East Anglia belong to the MoD and come under British law, even though this caused some concern during the 1960's and also the 1980's with the basing of US nuclear weapons in this country.

Not to sure about the 'Assault team' theory, remember that if the 'Cold War' went hot these facilities would have been guarded by home defence troops both regular and TA. Facilities such as RNAD Coulport and the Faslane Complex would and are guarded by Royal Marines and also MoD Police. Not to sure about the 'many' nuclear facilities in central scotland, apart from the two above there was only three nuclear sites active during the 'Cold War', which were nuclear reactors, though I believe the one at Chapel Cross was actually run by the MoD for Uranium enrichment. The 'Assault team' theory could also be dismissed due to the nature of conflict that the UK/NATO would have been involved in. The Warsaw Pact forces would have been more interested in destroying NATO military forces and facilities rather that other nuclear facilities. This of course would have been turned around if it was to become a long conventional war and of course this would lead to a war of attrition and the attempted destruction of civilian infrastructure. In that case airstrikes would be the first choice and if this would have thought not to be feasible the use of Spetsnaz or even KGB 'sleeper' agents could be used. If these would have been used the destruction rather than the capture of the facility would have been the primary objective. This could have been done by the use of a 'briefcase' or 'backpack' low yield nuclear device. The only other option with a SEAL assault team would be the possibility of a terror group capturing a civil nuclear facility, but again this would more than likely be not the case due to the UK's own Special Air Service counter-revolutionary warfare unit at Stirling Lines, Hereford, who would more than likely undertake the task.

[edit on 3-1-2007 by Military_History_guy]

[edit on 3-1-2007 by Military_History_guy]

Originally posted by Nerdling
'Mac' is a great hiding place, having been out there a few times the geography really has to be experienced. Even looking on Google Earth you get a sense of the incredible remoteness of it all.

It can't be that remote seeing as RAF Machrihanish is now known as Campbeltown Airport and operates civilian flights to Glasgow by Loganair!

Whatever happened in the past at Machrihanish has definately stopped now.

The only SEALs that would have possibly been out there were ones training the security guys on how to do their jobs better. Maybe SEAL team 6 who sometimes had the job of testing security was sent there a time or two. But they would be based elsewhere. SEALS don't like to play security gaurds either. It's not in their nature. THey are hunters and like to be the proactive one, not the other way around waiting for a goat F*** to happen.

The SEAL Team based at RAF Machrahanish was a detachment of SEAL Team 2, who I think were from Norfolk, Virginia. I remember seeing them at an airshow at RAF Valley when they did a parachute jump together. Their wartime role would have been insertion behind enemy lines for strategic reconnaissance and to cause havoc and would most likely have been delivered by submarine from the US Navy submarine base at Holy Loch (closed since the early 1990's).

Yeah some SF teams were deployed at key insertion points around europe in the event Warsaw troops tried advancing on the ground to invade nato territories. Some of them were supposed to go if given the command to hidden weapons caches located near major road routes or anything else strategic that needed to be blown up to stop the advancement.

They would wait for the lead element of the invasion to advance past a certain point and then they were to use small portable demo nukes to blow up major highway intercrossings etc... to cut off the force from any supplies or assistance from warsaw and end any type of ivasioon from the ground. Luckly we never needed to activate those troops for those reasons. But the hidden cashes could still be around.

Team 2 is from the east cost and I think their area of operation is the northern atlantic sea and arctic types of environments.

reply to post by jeffers

I was stationed at RAF Machrihanish. It was not USAF protecting any part of that base. RAF Police were in charge of security. There were three sites controlled by american forces...none of them were controlled by USAF. All were USN. The "Gaydon" Hangar is actually the Gaylon hangar. I can assure you...having been inside it several times...there is nothing sinister or mysterious about it.

I was wondering if this is what the OP saw



It is very contoured body style and it does not look like conventional aircraft for the most part.Here is a video of it in flight.




[edit: fixed video link]

[edit on 14-8-2008 by 12m8keall2c]

reply to post by Englishman_in_Spain


hey just checked in today on MILITARY web. AIR FORCE is displaying its PULSE DETONATING ENGINE at WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB MUSEUM. the picture and explanation dont match. I guess until you see the file pic they put out there, there is NO WAY that little toy plane can fly at 4 times the speed of sound leaving little puffs of smoke behind. AURORA is much more then their "display". still shy, arent they.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Ahhh another example of why not to allow Anon posts, arrghhh....but that's for another thread I suppose.

If he supposedly worked there he would know that the hangar is called the Gaydon hangar not because that's it's allocated name, it would have a number rather than a name, but because the Gaydon hangar is a type of hangar found all over the UK. They were first built during the second world war and you still find them on many military bases!

So.....he's another wannabee and you can discount all of the 'facts' he's posted!

Cheers

Robbie