UFO

[Tigger]

It was an SR-71.   I would point out however, that most of that story has lots of flaws however.   First of all there is no fixed wing aircraft in the US Fleet that fits in a C-5.   The C-5 deck is 19 feet across and just under 14 feet tall, you can put the unmanned prowler in there, and an Apache if you are careful, but nothing fixed wing fits in the aircraft without completely shearing the wings and tail off and in many cases the landing gear.
    -Tig
 
   

[Tigger]

JaXanim wrote:
@Tigger

I understand the SR-71 fleet went out of service in 1990 (but the USAF continued flying some until 1998). The 1994 Boscombe Down crash appears (according to the cited report) to involve a much more 'secret' vehicle than the Blackbird. The SR-71 was already on public display when that particular crash occurred.

In 1981 we had a Blackbird declare an emergency and land at Eglin, my dad called me so I'd take the long way to get about as close to the bird as the roads would take me.  Noone in the Air Force base crew was allowed to get close to the aircraft, its C130 Landed about 4 hours later, they fixed the bird, we had a big fight over who could refuel it, which led to a senior MS with a security clearance pumping JPL for the first time in years into the bird.  It then took off, took in most of its fuel from a 135 and went home.  This is what they did on a secured base, on US soil, in 1981.   The plane wasnt a secret then either, but it was tarped as soon as they landed, etc.  

You're right about fitting fixed wing craft into a C-5. The SR-71 is three times the width of the hold, but I've no idea how big, or small, the Aurora is.

Since my Apache fits in one, I'm very familiar with how big a C5 is, when we added longbow years ago, it was a big issue that it still be able to go into a Galaxy.   Aurora is bigger then 19 feet across, the C5 came to repair the aircract not take it back.  

I just read all this in Wikipedia following your assertion that it was an SR-71 that crashed. Are there any reports we could read?

I lived at Ramstein for years, and most who lived there will tell you stories about Blackbirds.  If a blackbird got in trouble in Europe, a C5 from Ramstein would come fix it, thats standard OP, so though its fun to think its Aurora, most of what we know about Aurora give it much more a B-2 appearance (Or the cancelled stealth A-12) not an aircraft that is going to fit into a C5.  A modified equipment SR-71, (my joke about Blackbirds is that there are 47 of them in 46 different configurations, which is partially true) makes much more sense, then a tiny secret aircraft so small they can fit it into a C-5, unless it was an predator, but that pretty tiny, though at that time it would have probably been secret, but of course the tail doesnt cant that way and it has a zero man crew.  
    -Tig

[Tigger]

PMC wrote:
An SR-71 doesn't have a forward hinged canopy.

Yeah, but the canopy does come off that way if its damaged or you need to get behind the control compartment.
     

I'm not suggesting what crashed at Boscombe during 1994 was the mythical Aurora (if it exists at all), but there has long been speculation that an A-12 (as in the cancelled US Navy stealth attacker) derivative was in use during the first Gulf war for identifying targets and vectoring the F-117s in over Baghdad.  

A-12 was cancelled guys, I designed tons of stuff for it, I would love to believe the bird is flying, but its not, they day it was cancelled was a sad, sad day, though it was necessary given what Mac D had done to the program.

Don't forget that the F-117 only carries two bombs in it's internal bay, no cannon or defensive armament is fitted so it's fairly limited in it's flexibility when compared to something like a Strike Eagle/Tornado/F-18E.

A-12 had none either, though if if could have taken off with them (which it couldnt have on cancellation day), it would have had 4 weapon bays, not the two of the Nighthawk.  But lets be honest, there isnt a stealth aircraft fielded today that wins a dogfight with an Eagle, in fact theres probably not an aircraft that wins a dogfight with the newest Eagle and an equal pilot, but thats a whole other discussion, and may change with Lockheeds new beasty, which looks good at Edwards when I'm out there.
    -Tig