The US Air Force’s test facility at Groom Lake, Nevada – commonly known as Area 51 – is where rumors of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have emerged.

The National Interest magazine on January 7 reported that the Pentagon wants to keep Area 51 out of the public eye because it is an area containing many types of experimental aircraft, even potentially including gliders. negative excess (HGV).

Area 51 is so mysterious that in April 2019, Russia sent a Tupolev-154M spy plane to spy on this facility.

Tupolev-154M. Photo: Wikimedia

The US military expanded Area 51 – which previously included only a small airfield – to test the Lockheed U-2 spy plane in 1955. Currently, the facility is within 37-40 km of airspace. limited to a Nevada training and testing facility that spans more than 11,600 square kilometers.

Some other US bases located near Area 51 include Nellis Air Force Base and Tonopah Test Facility – the latter home to many secret Pentagon programs.

According to The National Interest, Area 51’s initial role was to help develop the US Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) U-2 and A-12 spy planes.

Area 51 is also said to be the place to store former Soviet fighter jets. In 1966, Israel acquired a MiG-21 from a defected Iraqi pilot. In 1968, two Syrian pilots flying MiG-17F got lost and mistakenly landed in Israel.

All three of these aircraft were shipped to Groom Lake, Nevada to test their ability to confront American fighters, including the F-4 Phantom fighter.

Lockheed U-2. Photo: Wallpaper Flare

In the 1970s, the US Air Force’s special unit 6513 Test Squadron (also known as the “Red Hat”) continued to conduct assessments of former Soviet fighters.

However, in 1984, General Richard Bond of the US Air Force decided to test-pilot a MiG-23BN “Flogger” and lost control of the aircraft, resulting in his death. Bond is the second US Air Force pilot to die while testing a MiG-23 in two years.

Some photos and videos show the US testing both MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft over Area 51 to test the limits of Russian engineers.

In the 1990s, a number of reputable aviation writers revealed that the US owned a vehicle called “Aurora” that could fly 5 times the speed of sound. However, there is no concrete evidence that the US tested this vehicle in Area 51.

MiG-23BN “Flogger”. Photo: The Skytamer

The National Interest reported that Area 51 is also a test site for the stealthy Boeing Bird-of-Prey aircraft with its carefully shielded engine and fuselage without the tail section of conventional aircraft.

The US Air Force made 39 test flights between 1996-1999 before unveiling the Boeing Bird-of-Prey in 2002. It is now on display at the US Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Another type of aircraft appearing in Area 51 is the stealthy Lockheed P175 Polecat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). P175 looks like a miniature B-2 stealth bomber with 27 m wide wings, possesses attack and surveillance capabilities and a payload capacity of tons.

This stealthy UAV was tested in 2006 but in December of that year, the aircraft’s remote control system malfunctioned causing it to crash to the ground and self-destruct.

Boeing Bird-of-Prey. Photo: Boeing

In 2017, a huge hangar the size of a football field was discovered in Area 51. Some have explained that the hangar is related to the development of the B-21 stealth bomber, successor to the B-2 Spirit.

However, the US Air Force then officially announced that the B-21 would be tested at Tinkers (Oklahoma) and Edwards (California) air bases.

Notably, a report in Aviation Week in 2013 mentions the presence of a Northrop-Grumman RQ-180 drone in Area 51. This is said to be a “low-cost project” and could be deployed. funded by a secret $2 billion fund.

The specifications of the RQ-180 are said to be similar to the RQ-4 Global Hawk with stealth capabilities to penetrate enemy airspace and deploy attacks.

In addition, there are speculations about the Pentagon developing the SR-72 supersonic unmanned aerial vehicle for both surveillance and bombing roles. It is believed that the ideal place to test this UAV is none other than Area 51.

Northrop-Grumman RQ-180. Photo: Alchetron

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/nhung-ufo-tuyet-mat-duoc-my-cat-giau-tai-vung-51-202201080853…