Area 51 heats up again?

New Top Secret Construction at Area 51

Follow the link below from George Knapp.

www.lasvegasnow.com...

Big new hanger for Area 51, wonder what it is for?

There are several other threads on this one. It's not top secret, since anyone can see what they're building. It's simply a new hangar being built on the base.

Of course the hangar itself is not top secret, but what's inside probably is.

Either way, its nice to know when they are adding to the base, though I wish we could know once and for all what's in there. Though, sadly, that may never happen.

Being that a new hanger is indeed being built it makes you wonder if anyone (hopefully some rich guys with high-tech cameras and nothing better to do) will camp out as close as they can in hopes to film something coming or going out of that new hanger. Maybe its time for the TR3A Black Manta or the Aurora to show itself.

Bzzzzzzz

The "stills" used for that TV video can be found here:
www.lazygranch.com...
Jpeg2000 images are about as good as it gets, other than having the origianl tif. I set the compression reasonably low, so the tif really isn't that much better than the jpeg2000.

Direct links are here.
www.lazygranch.com...
www.lazygranch.com...

You should save the file, then use irfanview to see it. You need the plugins for irfanview as well.
www.irfanview.com...

BTW, nobody really knows if this is a hangar. It could be a large building. The only way to tell for sure would be to be to see the hangar door.

Thanks for the replies, I merely posted this since is seemed that Area 51 had been in a realtively innactive period, with projects being test flown elsewhere. New buildings could be a sign Area 51 will start to see more activity, what kind, I do not know.

Has anyone in the area seen much in the way of flight tests at Area 51 in the last few years?

Area 51 has been continuously active for more than 50 years, with a few quiet peiods in the 1950s. It has been especially active and growing over the past two decades.

There have been a few programs at Tonopah Test Range (Area 52) and Yucca Lake (Area 6). I'm sure there are projects that took place at other locations as well, but most that I have heard of took place at Area 51.

The will fly ordinary aircraft during the day. I don't know if that qualifies as a test in your mind. This link contains all the know plane photographs taken in recent years at Groom Lake. Nothing secret, just F117s and Su-27s. N105TB from Hanscom AFB has been spotted often in the area and videotape over the base.

www.lazygranch.com...

I just recorded a test flight on my last visit. Not very exciting audio:
www.lazygranch.com...

Referring page is:
www.lazygranch.com...

The F117 shown in the photo was performing flame out proficiency.

I have witnessed a test at night, but all I could see was a solid light flying back and forth. My recollection is the plane was relatively small, which can be judged by counting the runway lights that get blocked. The flight was low and not particularly fast. My guess would be a UAV.

Originally posted by Shadowhawk
Area 51 has been continuously active for more than 50 years, with a few quiet peiods in the 1950s. It has been especially active and growing over the past two decades.

Intresting! May I ask what what was going on at the base after the U-2 came out of the Black in 1960? As far as I know the first plane to fly from Groom Lake after the U-2 was the A-12 which flew in 1962 (Is that right?).

Tim

Originally posted by gariac
They will fly ordinary aircraft during the day. I don't know if that qualifies as a test in your mind.

Thanks for the reply. I really meant any new tech airframes and propulsion systems. It seems that since the F-117 there hasn't been anything "new" tested out there that anyone has noticed at least. I remember one video of some night flights that seemed to show a "light" making some pretty wild manuvers, that's the kind of stuff I am curious about but that was probably at least a decade ago now.

I would expect a lot of UAV and UCAV's to be tested there or someplace else. I have also always found it weird that they retired the Blackbird with nary a mention of it's successor plane. The Air Force doesn't retire a plane without a replacement already operational in it's place, don't you agree?

Since the first flight of the F-117A, there have been many "new" aircraft tested at Groom Lake. They include TACIT BLUE, AGM-137 TSSAM, various Soviet aircraft, various UAVs, various EW and classified avionics projects, RCS verification fights for current and future stealth aircraft, Bird of Prey, and a variety of manned aircraft described as "classified technology demonstrators" and "classified prototypes." Many of these vehicles have yet to be publicly unveiled or declassified.

Not just new construction .... check JT3 job search --many engineer and technician jobs

Originally posted by Shadowhawk
and a variety of manned aircraft described as "classified technology demonstrators" and "classified prototypes." Many of these vehicles have yet to be publicly unveiled or declassified.

Those are the ones I am interested in. Some of them should be coming online within the next 5 years or so I would think, unless there are still major kinks to work out.

You may recall that "Polecat" UAV crashed on the base recently, presuming you believe Aviation Leak.

It is suspected that Polecat used the new run near Yucca Lake for most of it's testing, but under control of Groom Lake. If you study the EDACS trunk radio system around the range, site 9 can only be received from route 95. So I suspect the tests were coordinated on that repeater.

I find it interesting that when the economy is doing so poorly and money and budgetary cuts abound, that all of these changes seem to be happening.
I can not help but wish that our Military personnel over in Iraq and elsewhere just had the proper equipment to operate safely. You hear of fatal head wounds from home made shrapnel bombs and the Humvee not being bullet proof.
Its a shame, and they could forgo one of these types of bunkers and buy the much needed equipment instead or even support the Vets that have come home disabled from becoming cannon fodder. I do not mean to sound so down and am always glad to hear about progress but do you know what I mean?

I no for a fact that massive amounts of water can be used in noise suppression,for engines during ground runs . That could be one reason for the new water tower ? ! .

dreamlandresort.com...

Your link just goes to a top level of a website site. I don't get it. In any event, I don't believe that website has photos of the new water tower, which incidentally is at the Sandia complex on the TTR, not Groom Lake.
www.lazygranch.com...
(referring page www.lazygranch.com... )
The new tower is on the left. Google Earth has the latest imagery in that area.
New tower at N37.785038 W116.756315
That funny thing poking out of the hole in the ground is at
N37.790963 W116.743929

The claim is the TTR is used for engine testing. [I have no way to verify this. It comes from someone who was TDY there, but sources can feed you disinformation.] What may go on at the TTR is a conventional looking aircraft could be fitted with a new design of engine, much like N747GE.