Originally posted by infinite
Before we start looking into what is being tested at the base now, lets look into what has been successfully tested and produced at the base.

U-2 Spyplane

The U-2 was tested when Area 51 was still a bunch of tents and Quonset huts. Flying at 70,000 feet, the U-2 overflew the USSR with impunity for years until one was shot down in 1960. Until they were painted black in the sixties, a fair percentage of UFO sightings were actually reflections from the silver bodied U-2 reconnaissance plane.

Suntan

Only four prototypes of the Mach 2.5 CL-400 or Suntan were ever built. This successor to the U-2 was to be powered by liquid hydrogen but it was deemed too costly to create an infrastructure for refueling around the world. The program was cancelled in the late fifties.

SR-71

The true successor to the U-2, the mach 3 SR-71 flies at 90,000 feet, uses 8,000 gallons of fuel per hour and has outrun countless SAMs. Built of titanium, the SR-71's surface temperature reaches 3,000 degrees during flight. Deactivated in 1990, the program has recently been revived, some believe because of problems with the Aurora.

Stealth Fighter

Code named Senior Trend and known as the Hopeless Diamond, the F-117 Stealth Fighter was designed in the late seventies. So stealthy, aircrews sometimes find dead bats whose own sonar is so confused by the signal return from the F-117 that they crash into parked craft. The hero of the Gulf war, the Stealth Fighter is still tasked to take out the toughest targets and is only now becoming vulnerable to enemy radar.

Other Aircraft

- Captured Soviet Craft

- Tacit Blue

TeThe land that is now Nevada was owned by Mexico until 1848, when the United States purchased it following the Mexican-American War. Southern Nevada was first inhabited by humans as early as 10,000 years ago. Those native peoples, most recently including the Southern Paiute and Western Shoshone, occupied the area until their relocation or extermination by European settlers throughout the 1800s. Since 1864 there have been mining operations in the Groom and Papoose mountain ranges and ranching operations in the general area. The creation of the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range invalidated the Papoose mining claims and ultimately all grazing claims, but there are recognized mining claims which are not actively worked in the Groom Mountain Range, which did not become part of the then Nellis Air Force Range until 1986. No cattle grazing is permitted within Groom Lake, though there is unfenced range in the nearby Tikaboo Valley, so cattle may stray into the portion of the Nellis Range surrounding the base.

To gain admittance to the Union, the citizens of Nevada and neighboring Western states were required to disclaim ownership of the unappropriated public lands within their respective state and recognize the United States as the owner of those lands. Those lands are held in public trust, generally by the Department of the Interior, and are generally accessible to the public for purposes including mining, ranching, and recreation. However, because the federal government owns those lands, they may be designated withdrawn from civilian use by order of the President or act of Congress and dedicated exclusively to the military for a different public use, ostensibly that of securing the nation's defense. More unit land area of Nevada than any other state is dedicated to the military and associated government agencies.

Originally posted by FredT
Have Blue ----- The F-117 Prototypes flown at area 51. I believe one crashed and was buried on site.

Originally posted by ghost
While not a complete list, here are some of the Departments, Agencies, and Contractors we know for a fact have important (and current) ties to Groom Lake. This list might be useful later in finding out what is going on out there. This is a composit list so I can't provide a souce for the list. Here who's at Area 51:

US Department of Defense
US Air Force
CIA
DARPA
EG&G Special Projects
SAIC
Lockheed Martian
Northrop Grumman
Wackenhut Security
Bechtel

This is just a starting point, please help me add to this list if you can. I know the list is not complete.

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

Originally posted by ghost
Some people have thought that AFFTC Det 3 was a possible name for the Base. It is Not, and Now we Have Proof. Det 3 is the Airforce's test unit at Groom Lake.