Delta Black Aircraft Spotted near RAF Fairford

I was driving home from work and with a slow traffic I laid back in the car. I noticed something flying with 3 light blue lights and a red light in the middle flying accross the sky. I thought it was just a plane at first but then it like turned on it side and shot off and disapearing. Lots of people were looking out their cars at it. Then another appeared and did the same shooting off in RAF Fairfords direction. Alot of Amaturer radio enthusiasts have heard lots of converstations on radio of a mystrious aircraft recently and belive its chemical powered. Anyone else heard this?

Originally posted by xXBondyXx
I was driving home from work and with a slow traffic I laid back in the car. I noticed something flying with 3 light blue lights and a red light in the middle flying accross the sky. I thought it was just a plane at first but then it like turned on it side and shot off and disapearing. Lots of people were looking out their cars at it. Then another appeared and did the same shooting off in RAF Fairfords direction. Alot of Amaturer radio enthusiasts have heard lots of converstations on radio of a mystrious aircraft recently and belive its chemical powered. Anyone else heard this?

Can you give details on exact location, time, date, speed and direction?

You believe this to be an aircraft, and therefore believe it to be of terrestrial origin?

[edit on 26-2-2007 by Koka]

It was 18:20 doing the M420 from Marlborough to Swindon. Yes I belive its a test aircraft.

I you thinking stealth or Aurora type vehicle?

I checked google earth, and it appears that RAF Fairford would have been in front, maybe to your left, would that be correct.

Do you believe that it could have landed there or was it just passing by?

I have a feeling it is. Im sure it was landing there or at least being tested from there. Fairford also is one of the only bases in the UK to home the B-2.

Hi Bondy,

Thanks for the post, I'm assuming that as you know Fairford is a B-2 facility that you are definite that the aircraft was not a B-2?

Possibilities are

MOD Taranis model
BAE are developing the Taranis, but I would imagine this would be done at Warton rather than Fairford and I don't think this is flying fullscale yet. If not Warton then Woomera in Australia.

polecat video
Polecat is flying, but why would it fly near fairford when you have Groom's facilities to hand? the same goes for Minion
Artists impression of Minion

Neuron is another UCAV that could fit the bill, but this like Taranis has not yet been built!

It could be a prototype aircraft. Has anyone sat in main gate reception at BAE Warton recently? Look at the futures board, along with the new Type 45 destroyer is a very interesting looking aircraft. The boards have been there for a few years at least!! You'll know what I mean if you've seen it. Perhaps this is what you saw?

Cheers

Rob

Originally posted by xXBondyXx
It was 18:20 doing the M420 from Marlborough to Swindon. Yes I belive its a test aircraft.

Which is all fine and dandy except that there is no such road. Could you clarify that please.

Ta.

Originally posted by timeless test

Originally posted by xXBondyXx
It was 18:20 doing the M420 from Marlborough to Swindon. Yes I belive its a test aircraft.

Which is all fine and dandy except that there is no such road. Could you clarify that please.

Ta.

I took it to be the A240, which locally may be considered a motorway, it was the only logical road which married up between Marlborough and Swindon.

It's possible it could of been one of those but It did make some really funny manuvers. It turned on it side and started acclerating to very high speeds. With an average speed of around 200-300MPH then shot off to must of been about about 1000MPH towards fairford. The Gs it must of done must of been far beyond something a human could withstand not saying its UFO. It didn't make much noise I couldn't hear it over the traffic. I'm sure it was not a B2 as they dont turn on their sides like this thing did. There has been some aircraft conversation on the airbands recently, I cant remember what the aircraft was code named but something is being tested. Aye and it was the A240, sorry mistype.



[edit on 27-2-2007 by xXBondyXx]

reading this made me think back to a couple of months ago.

me and my friends (three of us in total) were travelling back from liverpool heading south, not sure what motor way.
and to our left was this aircraft that sounds just like the one this guy is talking about but there were about six.

the first one flew over us and then as it was just over top of us it just disapeared.
then two minutes later another one appeared from the same place as the first but this one seemed to go verticle.
the next one came straight up from the grown seemingly from nowhere and then just disappeared like the first.
the forth then flew like the first two but had a light on it that seemed to shine straight up it to the sky. this one did the same as the first two and disappeared.
by this time we were past where they first appeared thought i kept watching them from the back of the car and they kept just appearing and disappearing.

the main feature of all of htem was they seemed triangular in shape and had three white lights on the three corners and one red one in the middle.

it was about 6 in the winter in november so it was dark.

dont have a clue about these crafts maybe you guys can shed some light on them

Interesting story there kerrichin any chance you could pinpoint the spot on google maps and give me the co-ordinates, doesn't have to be exact.

Just trying to get an idea of the locations these aircraft are being seen.

[edit on 27-2-2007 by Koka]

ill have a try for you.


ill just add both of my friends saw them it was atcually my friend that pointed them out to me

ive had a look and its on the m6 near knutsford i think.

definatly the m6 ive just rang my friend and asked her

there's a few floating rumers about a large underground facility at R.A.F. fairford. just to clarify for everyone, it's an american base, and i believe one of 3 places the space shuttle can use for emergency landings. As to my source for the facility? just local banter, so nothing provable

Hi Kerrichin,

The M6 near knutsford is very close 'aeronautically speaking' to BAE Warton, where you may or may not find some fairly interesting airframes!
This, plus the fact there you spotted 6 aircraft makes me think that these are not classified or exotic projects, more likely Tyhoon tests.
Typhoon at night would look very unusual due to the wing configuration and canards. It is also extremely manouverable! I was at Warton a while back and one of the engineers was recalling the test pilot getting a 'telling off' due to rotating so hard on full burn that he scorched the tarmac runway!!

OP....what allowed you to guage the aircraft was travelling at 1000MPH? How long were you watching it?

Cheers

Rob

Originally posted by stratsys-sws
MOD Taranis model
BAE are developing the Taranis, but I would imagine this would be done at Warton rather than Fairford and I don't think this is flying fullscale yet. If not Warton then Woomera in Australia.

polecat video
Polecat is flying, but why would it fly near fairford when you have Groom's facilities to hand? the same goes for Minion
Artists impression of Minion

The Taranis hasn't been built. The Polecat is an american technology demonstrator. The Minion isn't remotely delta winged.


This is quite an interesting thread. I think the prime suspect is either mistaken identity of a well-known aircraft or possibly a genuine sighting of a prototype etc.

hi there

on that day in question a friend of mine took pictures of a `flock` of planes flying VERY fast , at the time they were flying west to east over the centre of the country (Midlands).

here is the pic he sent to me , plus a close up pic.

pics taken on digital SLR A-100

direct links:
img410.imageshack.us...
img410.imageshack.us...

as far as he could tell they were fast moving Typhoons.
poss taking part in squadron testing ?? not sure at what stage the typhoon is at ??

hope this helps

snoopyuk

[edit on 1-3-2007 by snoopyuk]

Hi Snoopy,

Typhoon is being deployed right now. The national support center will be based at RAF Conningsby, however a large team is still located at Warton. Therefore the flight path between the two sites may coincide with your sighting? They look to be at rather high altitude, but as I mentioned earlier due to the sheer number it is unlikely that they are classified/prototype aircraft.

GFAD, I totally agree with your points. As mentioned in my post I find it highly unlikely that the aircraft spotted was any of those models. However it could easily be another prototype aircraft, perhaps the much talked about HALO? Just trying to give a base for the OP to compare.

Back to the OP Bondy, what allowed you to guage an aircraft accelerating from 200Knots to well above supersonic? Did you hear a sonic boom? How long was the aircraft in sight for? You mention blue and red lights, were these flashing, constant, did they look like lights for the purpose of illumination or something else?

I agree this sounds interesting, was there any coverage in local media?

Cheers

Rob

The lights wernt flashing. I couldnt hear anything from it. And funnily enough I drove out to see the lunar eclispe and guess what, I saw it again. It was just going through the sky at a stable speed of around 400mph very quietly.

Bear with me here Bondy, after a couple of other posters adding their own sitings it's yours that interests me the most here.

You have seen on two occasions

- A moving aircraft travelling between 300-400MPH You estimate it accellerated to around 1000MPH during the first siting?

- It has a delta wing configuration

- The aircraft makes no noise and has one red and three blue constant lights

- You spotted two of these flying in formation in the first sighting and a single aircraft in the second

- In close proximity to RAF Fairford.

OK, I've got some questions and I'd much appreciate it if you could answer them directly.

1. How did you guage the aircraft speed? I'm a qualified pilot and would struggle to guage whether an aircraft is travelling at 200 or 400 MPH (i'd use knots) at night without knowing it's size and altitude in addition to looking up without any reference. perhaps 200 or 600 yeah.

2. Roughly what altitude was the aircraft flying? Low (ie Tornado skimming the rought tops), Medium (ie 747 on approach), High (747 leaving vapour trails at 40,000ft)

3. If it was night, (around 11PM for the lunar eclipse) how could you see a delta configuration? Was it simply that you are assuming the lights were at the wingtips?

4. Blue is not a colour used for navigation lights, and anti collision lights are red and flash. Any ideas why it would have blue lights?

Cheers

Rob