New Aurora evidence?, page 2

reply to post by ShadowXIX

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I had a thought about the Aurora and similar hypersonic objects, and I'm starting to think that the classic Aurora we've all come to know is actually just a technology demonstrator for a few new different things. Like, but not limited to
Pulse detonation engines
New high temp skins
Both active and passive STEALTH systems
possible re-entry and space flight(low orbit high atmosphere)
hypersonic, supersonic GPS weapons delivery
Unmanned flight
Hypersonic Anti Satellite warfare. In a Dogfights of the Future episode they were talking about a hypothetical air to air encounter between two hypersonic aircraft that used lasers to destoy their targets(Satellites, missles and other things one would find going really high and really fast, like saucers)

I'm also open to the possiblity that AURORA is not just one aircraft/ship but rather a small squadron of similar aircraft.

Put some comments from difffrent peope in a video clip, maybe this will add light to to Aurora.

www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by StratosFear
reply to post by ShadowXIX

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I'm also open to the possiblity that AURORA is not just one aircraft/ship but rather a small squadron of similar aircraft.

If it exists, its most certainly not going to be a single aircraft, its going to be a small fleet of aircraft much as the A-12 and SR-71 fleets were (13 A-12s, 32 SR-71s). Even if the aircraft hasn't actually made it into production, its going to be a prototype fleet of 4 - 8 aircraft simply because you cannot carry out a comprehensive fligth test regime with just one or two aircraft - the aircraft need down time for maintenance, for instrumentation changes and for validation.

The only possibility that it is a single aircraft is if it was a technology demonstrator that flew for short periods of time during the 1980s or 1990s and has since been retired, much like the YF-22A and YF-23A was (although even those had multiple examples of aircraft).

So there exists four possibilities:

1. Aurora flew for a short period of time as a technology demonstrator or development aircraft and was retired. What was it replaced with?

2. Aurora flew for a short period of time as a technology demonstrator or development aircraft and was retired. Nothing replaced it.

3. Aurora is the name for an aircraft type, which went into production after the development phase. This would necessitate a fleet of aircraft to maintain availability.

4. Aurora never existed.

reply to post by StratosFear

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The problem of using lasers as a weapon is though they can be very effective, they need both, an amazing amount of energy and a clear weather, if visibility is low (like a foggy climate) the laser will be useless.

reply to post by mbartelsm

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At high speed static and heat can build up, also a reason for some of these "black project" aircraft is that they could have nuclear based powerplants which could provide huge amounts of power.

Could it be?

reply to post by freewareism77

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Possibly space junk, but still, most intriguing...

reply to post by A-star

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Nonsense. The SR-71 was not designed to sustain hypersonic speeds.

All Blackbird variants were designed to obtain maximum cruise performance around Mach 3.2 at altitudes from 74,000 to 85,000 feet. The external configuration, engine air inlet system, powerplant, and fuel sequencing were optimized for performance at Mach 3.2 and the airplane attained true airspeeds near 1,850 knots.

In 1965, a CIA pilot flew an A-12 to a maximum speed of Mach 3.29 (2,171 mph). According to the SR-71 pilot’s handbook (flight manual), Mach 3.17 was the maximum recommended cruise speed for normal operations. The pilot, however, could increase speed to Mach 3.3 as long as the engine compressor inlet temperature did not exceed 427 degrees C. Speeds exceeding Mach 3.3 were occasionally recorded during test flights, but these operations put excessive thermal stress on the airframe.

In July 1976, relatively cool outside air temperatures allowed an Air Force crew to set an official speed record in the SR-71A, accelerating to Mach 3.32 (2,193 miles per hour). This record stood even after the airplane’s official retirement flight in March 1990 set a 1,998-mile straight-course speed record from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in just over 64 minutes at an average speed of 2,144 miles per hour.

reply to post by A-star

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And the B-1 was supposed to be a Mach 2 bomber, and looks like a Mach 2 bomber, but can barely make Mach 1 with a tailwind. Just because something LOOKS a certain way doesn't make it true. The SR-71 was a Mach 3 aircraft, and would have torn apart flying at the speeds that some people claim it could do.

reply to post by A-star

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Unlike the XB-70, the SR-71 was designed to be stealthy as well as fast. That is what ultimately drove the aircraft's configuration. Kelly Johnson went through a dozen different design iterations before arriving at something that satisfied the customer requirements for speed, altitude, and low radar signature. His A-11 model was rejected because it would have had such a large radar reflection that the Soviets might have mistaken it for a bomber like the B-70. The A-12 (forerunner of the SR-71) included shaping and materials that made it less visible to long range tracking radar such as the Soviet P-14 Oborona. It doesn't matter that it looks like it could go faster than it does, or that the pilot could get more thrust out of the engines. There were thermal limitations for the airframe and powerplant that could not be exceeded.


In 1975 Lockheed attempted to determine the feasibility of extending the Blackbird’s speed and altitude capabilities. The results of several studies concluded the airplane’s maximum speed limit could be extended to Mach 3.5 for short periods of time. The only structural limit to speeds above Mach 3.5 was a KEAS (knots equivalent air sped) limit of 420, set by inlet duct pressures and temperatures that exceeded acceptable values. Limited inlet capture-area and excessive engine compressor inlet temperatures (427 degrees C maximum) also limited operations at higher Mach numbers.

Similar studies addressed the possibility of achieving flight in the SR-71 well above 85,000 feet. Results indicated the SR-71 could briefly reach an altitude of about 95,000 feet in a zoom climb profile. The proposed mission could have been accomplished with an airplane at a gross weight of 85,000 pounds. According to the flight profile, the pilot would accelerate from Mach 3.2 to Mach 3.5 at an altitude of 80,000 feet, then zoom to 95,000 feet as speed decreased to normal cruise Mach numbers. The airplane would subsequently settle back down to an altitude of about 84,000 feet. Sustained flight at altitudes above 85,000 feet was limited by wing surface area and engine thrust capabilities. The A-12, a single seat/single sensor airplane was 2,000 pounds lighter than the SR-71 and could easily attain 90,000 feet (and did on at least one occasion).

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