From: Bob.Dunn@p0.f205.n285.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Bob Dunn) Subject: Testor's XR-7 Date: 10 Dec 93 05:09:00 GMT Testor has finally come out with their TOP SECRET Aurora Program series, it includes the kits for the SR-75 Penetrator which they say was designed to replace the SR-71 Blackbird, and the XR-7 Thunder Dart, which they believe is carried aloft by the Penetrator and launched at 90,000 feet. The instruction manuals for both kits are very informative for both aviation buffs, black budget watchers, and also for UFO enthusiasts. I thought I'd include some excerpts from the XR-7 manual: [From side of box] XR-7 Thunder Dart Profile Powered by two afterburning turbojets and two Pulse Detonation Wave Engines (PDWEs), The XR-7 Thunder Dart is capable of speeds far exceeding Mach 7! It is assumed this hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft is carried aloft and launched at 90,000 feet by the SR-75 Penetrator. The PDWEs, though small and light, are capable of producing more than 55,000 pounds of thrust each. XR-7 turbojets are used for loiter, air-to-air refueling, and normal takeoffs and landings for flights to operating bases. PDWEs require special fuels, ZIP fuels, and ingnition inside the engine takes place through the use of frequency-timed laser light in a system called photon ignition. Most of the fuel aboard the XR-7 is ZIP fuel, while a relatively small amount of JP-4, used in the turbojets, is carried. ZIP fuel also is circulated through the skin of the Thunder Dart to cool the structure before injection into the engines. Both aircraft - the SR-75 and the XR-7 - are equipped with standard arrays of photographic and reconnaisance gear in addition to the top secret remote sensing equpment used to "see" nuclear storage sites of the world's ever-increasing nuclear powers. It is not known who is responsible for deployment of these craft - the USAF denies their existance. Suspected operators include the CIA, the National Reconnaissance Ofice (NRO) or perhaps a consortium of foreign nations allied in their efforts. [From instruction manual] History "Loud pulsing sounds... loud enough to vibrate your body." Donuts-on-a-rope contrails in the sky. Hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 7. A sharp triangular shape. And a large plane similar to the SR-71 also seen in the air; what is in our skies?!! It is still secret (as of September 1993) but something new and radical is in the air. Some have called it "Aurora". Others call the _system_ "Senior Smart" and "Senior Citizen". At Testor we call it the SR-75 - Kit No. 568 - and the XR-7 - Kit No. 567. These kits represent the best we know about these aircraft and we've modeled them based on the best information we have. The XR-7 Thunder Dart is capable of Mach 7+ speeds. It can take off under its own power or be launched from the back of the SR-75. It has two conventional jet engines in its belly and two very powerful, very loud and very different Pulse Detonation Wave Engines on its back. The PDWE units are probably fueled with liquid methane fuel or what is sometimes called "ZIP" fuels. The turbojets are fueled with JP-7. The XR-7's primary mission is that of a very highspeed reconnaissance and to gain practical experience in the hypersonic speed regime. This will have application in the development of the High-Speed Civil Transport, or HSCT, program. Rumors have persisted the planes have been flying since, roughly, late 1986 in test and in limited operational use since 1990. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation - the Skunk Works - is said to be the prime contractor with some subcontracting being done by Rockwell. Since the program is classified there is no way to prove this at this time. As best we can determine, the XR-7 spans 42'-10" with a length of 80'-2". The wing leading edge sweep is 75 degrees - an "arrow" indeed. Liquid methane is used to cool the aircraft's skin and the is run through the radiator-like outlets in the tailpipes before being injected into the engine and used for propulsion. Newly developed high temperature ceramic materials are used on all leading edge surfaces. The airplane, at speed and altitude, literally glows with heat generated by Mach 7 flight and has been seen over the United States at night. References For additional information on hypersonic aircraft see the following book: "Aurora - The Pentagon's Secret Hypersonic Spyplane; MII-Tech Series"; Bill Sweetman; Motorbooks International, Osceola, Wisconsin 54020 USA. [From back cover of manual with accompaning photograph] This is a Russian satellite photograph of Groom Lake, NV, taken on 17 July 1988. It shows numerous changes from the 1968 photograph of Groom Lake which is printed on the instruction sheet of the SR-75, Testor kit No. 568. Taken by a Russian KFA-1000 camera in a satellite 171 miles above Groom, this photo is frame 27890 of film 211 taken on 17 July 1988. The image can be purchased from Central Trading Systems of Arlington, Texas. This screened photo reveals no secrets. In 1994 the Open Skies Treaty will allow 24 signatory nations to photograph the once secret Groom Lake area. Ground access to Groom Lake is still very limited and it is off-limits to those without proper authority and clearance. You are advised not to visit the installation. Guards [Wackenhut] are allowed to use deadly force to protect this test facility. [My comments, BD] The scale of the photo at right is very close to 1 inch equaling 3,290 feet. The runway, Runway 14-32, is an 18,750' long paved surface with an extension to the north allowing emergency running onto the dry lakebed for an additional 4,950' (approx.). Total runway width is 200'. 100' of that is concrete on the centerline with 50' each side of the concrete as hard asphalt. The runway at the Groom Lake, Nevada, test site is one of the longest paved runways in the world. The photograph is commercially available and serves to illustrate how well remote imaging and sensing actually work. It is very difficult for any nation to keep sites such as this secret when wonderful technology is in orbit overhead. The Groom Lake, Nevada, test facility is also known as Area-51 or Dreamland. Located 94 miles NNW of Las Vegas, it is rich in avbiation history. First built and used for the flight test of Lockheed U-2 spyplanes and the training of Central Intelligence Agency pilots to fly them, it began its secret days in 1955. The base has _never_ been out of public view from hikeable ground locations [so far. BD] while the military counted on the remote location of the facility to provide a major part of the security. You simply cannot see the base from any highway in the area. The CIA precursors to the SR-71, the A-11 and A-12, first flew from Groom. They were followed by the F-117 stealth fighter and numerous first flights _yet to be revealed_. _Rumors persist that even extraterrestrial UFOs have been worked on in the Groom area_. [My emphasis, BD] Many people labored long and hard in total secrecy to test and fly remarkable machines. Perhaps, with the Cold War now over, they can finally tell their families where they disappeared to for weeks at a time. We salute these dedicated people. Bravo! --- --- ~ SLMR 2.1a ~ I'm in shape ... round's a shape isn't it? - JetMail v1.14a3 - Unregistered QWK Mail Door for Spitfire -- Bob Dunn - via ParaNet node 1:104/422 UUCP: !scicom!paranet!User_Name INTERNET: Bob.Dunn@p0.f205.n285.z1.FIDONET.ORG