Online since 1995 Last updated: 20 October 2004

Background In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was believed that a top-secret reconnaissance aircraft, capable of flying at speeds beyond Mach 6, was developed to replace the SR-71 Blackbird. The alleged project was detailed in mainstream media including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Jane's Defence Weekly, and Aviation Week & Space Technology. The name Aurora was included in a Pentagon budget request in 1985, perhaps inadvertently, underneath reconnaissance programs of the SR-71 and U-2. The Aurora has been attributed to scores of unidentified aircraft reports around the world, including a 1989 sighting from an oil platform in the North Sea, a series of mysterious sonic booms over Southern California in 1991-92, and photographs of unusual "donuts-on-a-rope" contrails. However, the United States government denies the existence of such an aircraft, and no absolute evidence has ever confirmed the rumors. Speculation about an Aurora project has mostly died away since the late 1990s, and over the years it has acquired a reputation as a "flying saucer story." Wherever the truth may lie, it is the goal of the Aurora Aircraft Page to provide information for you to help divide fact from fiction in the quest to solve this elusive story. Data A History of Aurora The story of the Aurora from 1980s to the 1990s. Aurora Timeline Key dates and information about the Aurora's possible history. Aurora Specifications Collected technical data of Aurora's dimensions, propulsion, performance, and other details. Various information about PDWEs and pulsejets. Aurora Budget Notes on the Congressional line-item that revealed the Aurora and its budget in 1985-87. Aurora: The Name Game The musical chairs of Aurora's many names. "Donuts-on-a-Rope" Contrails Detailed descriptions and photos regarding the "donuts-on-a-rope" contrail, supposedly left by Aurora's engines. AAP Reading List A list of recommended books on Aurora and assorted "black projects." Articles Secret US Spy Plane is Kintyre's Dark Visitor A July 1992 article in the London Daily Telegraph reporting on the secret aircraft operating out of Machrihanish airbase in Scotland. Out of the Black - Secret Mach 6 Spyplane Bill Sweetman's widely circulated article from Popular Science in March 1993. Secret Is Out on 'Quakes': It's a Spy Plane A newspaper report from Los Angeles about mysterious sonic booms which occurred between June 1991 and April 1992. Evidence Points to Secret U.S. Spy Plane A Wall Street Journal article from December 1992. Aurora Articles from 1990-93 Several excellent articles from magazines and newspapers. These cover many of the Aurora's details and possibilities. "Say WHAT? Wright Field Salutes the Aurora" A fascinating Web artifact (ca. 1997) from Wright Field's Aeronautical Systems Center. Aurora FOIA Request A photocopy of a U.S. Air Force letter of denial, responding to a request for information about the Aurora made under the Freedom of Information Act. Sightings The 1989 North Sea Sighting The reputable August 1989 eyewitness account from a former Royal Observer Corps team member. Wyoming, September 2000 Several images and a sighting report of a "donuts" contrail over Wyoming in September 2000. Montana 1997 "Donuts" Photo An AAP reader shares a sighting account and analysis of a contrail image released in June 2000. Possibly Real? An sighting of a white, needle-like aircraft at Area 51 by a German journalist. Images Fakes A collection of interesting photos revealed as fakes. Miscellaneous Various images which may not be easily categorized. The AAP About the AAP A short history of the AAP and its mission. Contacting the AAP How you can contact the AAP. "With the SR-71 Blackbird, they knew we were there but they couldn't touch us. With Aurora, they won't even know we're there." --- An anonymous U.S. Defense Dept. official