Latest news with #RAT55
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Secret Air Force jet spotted flying over Area 51 by plane-obsessed photographer
Area 51 just got a little more mysterious. The US Air Force's top-secret Boeing 737-200 aircraft, also known as the RAT55 jet, was spotted soaring over Nevada's Groom Lake facility, confirming long-rumored ties to the classified base. From 26 miles away atop Tikaboo Peak, a mountain in Nevada, plane-obsessed photographer Michael Rokita recorded fuzzy footage of the RAT55, which is used as a radar testbed, pulling off touch-and-go maneuvers and a landing on Runway 32, according to the Daily Mail. Moments later, the jet rolled into Hangar 18 as the huge doors parted like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. Recognizable by its rotund nose and humpbacked profile, the RAT55 probes the stealth of other planes midflight — a covert gig that may have backed the RQ-80 drone. Normally in secret, the RAT55 prowls prohibited airspace near Edwards Air Force Base, ghosting flight trackers by turning its transponder off. As per the Daily Mail, Rokita confirmed RAT55's call sign is 'Saber 98,' a smoking-gun link tying the mysterious jet to Area 51's secretive Hangar 18. Dodging his devices' power failures and the desert's sweltering heat with a Nikon P1000 and a bespoke binocular-smartphone rig, he snapped proof of the radar-testing aircraft. The jet is rumored to size up everything from B-2s to stealth prototypes like the B-21 Raider. RAT55 hardly ever leaves Nevada, but spotting it rolling into the infamous Hangar 18 just stokes decades of alien and black-budget rumors. Back in April, The Post reported on Jerry Freeman, a cultural researcher who accidentally wandered into a restricted corner of Area 51 — and lived to tell the tale. On a 1996 quest to track lost 1849 Gold Rush journals near the Nevada base, Freeman snuck in undercover at night — and instead of old writings, he may have stumbled on an alien spacecraft, he told UFO researcher George Knapp. 'It looked like a dry lakebed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story,' Freeman said to Knapp. 'I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the center of the lake,' the anthropologist went on. Freeman only got a few minutes to watch — but felt the ground rumble beneath him, a sure sign that something top-secret was being tested. For decades, Area 51 was off limits and off the record — until 2013, when the feds finally admitted it existed. Nearly 30 years after Freeman's brush with the base, conspiracy theories linking it to aliens are still flying. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Secret Air Force jet spotted flying over Area 51 by plane-obsessed photographer
Area 51 just got a little more mysterious. The US Air Force's top-secret Boeing 737-200 aircraft, also known as the RAT55 jet, was spotted soaring over Nevada's Groom Lake facility, confirming long-rumored ties to the classified base. From 26 miles away atop Tikaboo Peak, a mountain in Nevada, plane-obsessed photographer Michael Rokita recorded fuzzy footage of the RAT55, which is used as a radar testbed, pulling off touch-and-go maneuvers and a landing on runway 32, according to the Daily Mail. Moments later, the jet rolled into Hangar 18 as the huge doors parted like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. Recognizable by its rotund nose and humpbacked profile, the RAT55 probes the stealth of other planes midflight — a covert gig that may have backed the RQ-80 drone. Normally in secret, the RAT55 prowls prohibited airspace near Edwards Air Force Base, ghosting flight trackers by turning its transponder off. As per the Daily Mail, Rokita confirmed RAT55's call sign is 'Saber 98,' a smoking-gun link tying the mysterious jet to Area 51's secretive Hangar 18. Dodging his devices' power failures and the desert's sweltering heat with a Nikon P1000 and a bespoke binocular-smartphone rig, he snapped proof of the radar-testing aircraft. The jet is rumored to size up everything from B-2s to stealth prototypes like the B-21 Raider. RAT55 hardly ever leaves Nevada, but spotting it rolling into the infamous Hangar 18 just stokes decades of alien and black-budget rumors. Back in April, The Post reported on Jerry Freeman, a cultural researcher who accidentally wandered into a restricted corner of Area 51 — and lived to tell the tale. On a 1996 quest to track lost 1849 Gold Rush journals near the Nevada base, Freeman snuck in undercover at night — and instead of old writings, he may have stumbled on an alien spacecraft, he told UFO researcher George Knapp. 'It looked like a dry lakebed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story,' Freeman said to Knapp. 'I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the center of the lake,' the anthropologist went on. Freeman only got a few minutes to watch — but felt the ground rumble beneath him, a sure sign that something top-secret was being tested. For decades, Area 51 was off limits and off the record — until 2013, when the feds finally admitted it existed. Nearly 30 years after Freeman's brush with the base, conspiracy theories linking it to aliens are still flying. Solve the daily Crossword
NDTV
16 hours ago
- General
- NDTV
Mysterious US Air Force Jet Spotted Over Area 51, Reignites Hangar 18 Alien Theories
A man recently captured a rare sighting of the US Air Force's secretive RAT55 jet flying over Area 51 in Nevada, a site notorious for conspiracy theories. According to Daily Mail, photographer Michael Rokita captured fuzzy footage of the RAT55 from 26 miles away atop Tikaboo peak, showing the plane performing touch-and-go manoeuvres before landing on runway 32 and taxiing to Hangar 18, the largest hangar in Area 51. Speculation has long surrounded Hangar 18 at Area 51, with theories suggesting the government conducts secret projects there. The most enduring rumor is that the hangar stores evidence of crashed UFOs and extraterrestrial life, including alien technology. It's also believed to be involved in top-secret aerospace programs, fueling ongoing speculation and intrigue. Notably, the RAT55 is a highly modified aircraft used to collect radar data on stealthy aircraft in flight, often working in conjunction with other secretive programs. It is known to operate covertly, using the call sign "Sabre 98," and only flies in restricted airspace, including areas where it disables its tracking device and disappears from radar. The RAT55 is identifiable by its distinctive nose and humpbacked shape. Its primary role is to test the stealth capabilities of other aircraft in mid-air, operating covertly in restricted airspace, often with its transponder disabled to avoid detection. This secretive work may have supported projects like the RQ-80 drone As per the report, Mr Rokita confirmed RAT 55's call sign is 'Sabre 98,' a smoking-gun link tying the mysterious jet to Area 51's secretive Hangar 18. Despite technical challenges and harsh desert conditions, the photographer used a Nikon P1000 and a custom binocular-smartphone setup to photograph the radar-testing aircraft. The RAT55 is believed to measure the stealth capabilities of various aircraft, including the B-2 and B-21 Raider. Its rare appearances and association with Area 51 fuel long-standing conspiracy theories about the base's secret activities. In April, a story emerged about Jerry Freeman, a cultural researcher who unintentionally trespassed into a restricted area of Area 51 and survived to share his account. Mr Freeman had been searching for lost 1849 Gold Rush journals near the Nevada base in 1996 and sneaked in under the cover of night. Instead of finding historical writings, he claimed to have possibly encountered an alien spacecraft, as reported to UFO researcher George Knapp. "It looked like a dry lake bed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story. I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the centre of the lake,' Mr Freeman told George Knapp. For decades, Area 51 was shrouded in secrecy, with its existence denied by the government. However, in 2013, the US government officially acknowledged the base's existence. Despite this revelation, conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51's alleged connection to extraterrestrial life continue to thrive.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Secretive Air Force jet spotted flying over Area 51 by plane- obsessed photographer
Area 51 just got a little more mysterious. The US Air Force's top-secret Boeing 737-200 aircraft, also known as the RAT55 jet, was spotted soaring over Nevada's Groom Lake facility, confirming long-rumored ties to the classified base. From 26 miles away atop Tikaboo Peak, a mountain in Nevada, plane-obsessed photographer Michael Rokita recorded fuzzy footage of the RAT55, which is used as a radar testbed, pulling off touch-and-go maneuvers and a landing on runway 32, according to the Daily Mail. Advertisement Moments later, the jet rolled into Hangar 18 as the huge doors parted like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. Recognizable by its rotund nose and humpbacked profile, the RAT55 probes the stealth of other planes midflight — a covert gig that may have backed the RQ-80 drone. Advertisement Normally in secret, the RAT55 prowls prohibited airspace near Edwards Air Force Base, ghosting flight trackers by turning its transponder off. The jet is a secretive US Air Force Boeing 737-200 aircraft often used as a radar testbed. As per the Daily Mail, Rokita confirmed RAT 55's call sign is 'Saber 98,' a smoking-gun link tying the mysterious jet to Area 51's secretive Hangar 18. Dodging his devices' power failures and the desert's sweltering heat with a Nikon P1000 and a bespoke binocular-smartphone rig, he snapped proof of the radar-testing aircraft. Advertisement The jet is rumored to size up everything from B-2s to stealth prototypes like the B-21 Raider. RAT 55 hardly ever leaves Nevada, but spotting it roll into the infamous Hangar 18 just stokes decades of alien and black-budget rumors. Rokita captured footage of the radar-testing aircraft. Cloud Cap – Back in April, The Post reported on Jerry Freeman, a cultural researcher who accidentally wandered into a restricted corner of Area 51— and lived to tell the tale. Advertisement On a 1996 quest to track lost 1849 Gold Rush journals near the Nevada base, Freeman snuck in undercover at night — and instead of old writings, he may have stumbled on an alien spacecraft, he told UFO researcher George Knapp. 'It looked like a dry lake bed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story,' Freeman said to Knapp. 'I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the center of the lake,' the anthropologist went on. Freeman only got a few minutes to watch — but felt the ground rumble beneath him, a sure sign something top-secret was being tested. For decades, Area 51 was off-limits and off-the-record — until 2013, when the feds finally admitted it existed. Nearly 30 years after Freeman's brush with the base, conspiracy theories linking it to aliens are still flying.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
World's most secretive jet spotted over Area 51
The US Air Force's top-secret RAT55 jet was spotted soaring over Area 51 in Nevada, confirming rumors that this enigmatic radar plane operates from the clandestine Groom Lake facility. Aviation enthusiast Michael Rokita captured the aircraft from a vantage point 26 miles away near Tikaboo Peak, documenting its touch-and-go maneuvers and final landing on runway 32. Minutes after landing, the RAT55 was linked to Hangar 18, Area 51's largest and most mysterious hangar, as its massive sliding doors were seen open, suggesting the jet had taxied inside. The RAT55, distinguished by its 'fat nose,' 'hump on the top,' 'hump on the belly,' and 'big protrusion in the back,' is a specialized aircraft designed for in-flight radar cross-section testing. This capability allows it to evaluate the stealth profiles of other aircraft mid-air, a critical function rumored to have supported the development of the RQ-80 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Its operations are typically cloaked in secrecy, conducted in restricted airspace like the R-258 range near Edwards Air Force Base, where it often vanishes from flight tracking by switching off its transponder. Rokita's sighting confirmed that RAT 55 uses the call sign 'Saber 98,' a thrilling breakthrough that ties the jet's covert communications to Area 51's operations, cementing its residence in Hangar 18. Using a Nikon P1000 camera and a custom binocular-smartphone setup, Rokita overcame technical challenges, including a dying battery and desert heat haze, to deliver this unprecedented evidence. Outfitted with advanced radar systems, RAT55 is believed to operate primarily as a test platform for evaluating the radar signatures of stealth aircraft. This includes both existing models, like the B-2 Spirit, which undergoes regular testing to ensure its radar cross-section meets expectations, and new prototypes. With at least two major manned stealth programs currently under development, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider and the Boeing F-47, RAT55's specialized capabilities are likely in high demand. RAT55, short for Radar Airborne Testbed, with '55' taken from its tail number, rarely leaves the skies over the sprawling, isolated test ranges of South-Central California and Southern Nevada, where it quietly carries out its secretive missions. The jet's taxiing to Hangar 18 is particularly tantalizing due to its conspiracy lore as the name's association with alien encounters, secret projects and black-budget aircraft instantly sparks curiosity. Hangar 18 remained the largest hangar on the base until the mid-2000s, following its construction in the 1980s. Its towering height and massive doors could accommodate virtually any aircraft in the US inventory, making it ideal for testing, storage or perhaps even simultaneous classified projects. Some enthusiasts have speculated that the hangar may house a 'museum' of retired or experimental aircraft, hidden from public view. It was also last spotted in May, flying alongside a B-2 Spirit over Death Valley The combination of the legendary Hangar 18 name and its location at Area 51 has cemented its almost mythical status, feeding decades of rumors that have fueled conspiracy theories, from alien technology to top-secret aerospace programs. RAT55's recent appearance there only adds fuel to the speculation, suggesting that whatever goes on inside may be as secretive and extraordinary as the legends imply. It was also last spotted in May, flying alongside a B-2 Spirit over Death Valley. Photographer Julian Elnasser described his RAT55 sighting to The Aviationist: 'I was staying in Las Vegas and saw it was out flying from Groom towards the R-2508. 'So I decided to try my luck and hurry on out to Death Valley near Furnace Creek. Approaching the town, I saw the two and immediately pulled over; they were pretty low. 'After the first pass, I moved closer to the valley itself and observed two more passes before they [returned to base].'
