SR-91 Aurora Lockheed Martin secret hypersonic spy plane

[TonyGosling]

Lockheed Martin's successor to the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-91 Aurora aircraft - or is it F-19?

Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MaP-J5ps8
Published on 17 Nov 2016
Aurora also known as SR-91 Aurora is the popular name for a hypothesized American reconnaissance aircraft, believed by some to be capable of hypersonic flight at speeds of Mach 5+. According to the hypothesis, Aurora was developed in the 1980s or 1990s as a replacement for the aging and expensive SR-71 Blackbird.
A British Ministry of Defence report released in May 2006 refers to USAF priority plans to produce a Mach 4-6 highly supersonic vehicle, but no conclusive evidence had emerged to confirm the existence of such a project. It was believed by some that the Aurora project was canceled due to a shift from spy-planes to high-tech unmanned aerial vehicles and reconnaissance satellites which can do the same job as a spyplane, but with less risk of casualties.
The main question here is, Does the US Air Force or America’s intelligence agencies have a secret hypersonic aircraft capable of a Mach 6 performance?. The continually growing evidence suggests that the answer to this question is YES. Perhaps the most well-known instance which provides evidence of such an aircraft’s existence is the sighting of a triangular plane over the North Sea in August 1989 by oil-exploration engineer Chris Gibson. As well as the famous “skyquakes” heard over Los Angeles since the early 1990s, found to be heading for the secret Groom Lake (Area 51) installation in the Nevada desert, numerous other facts provide an understanding of how the aircraft’s technology works. Rumored to exist but routinely denied by U.S. officials, the name of this aircraft is Aurora.
The outside world uses the name Aurora because a censor’s slip let it appear below the SR-71 Blackbird and U-2 in the 1985 Pentagon budget request. Even if this was the actual name of the project, it would have by now been changed after being compromised in such a manner.
The plane’s real name has been kept a secret along with its existence. This is not unfamiliar though, the F-117a stealth fighter was kept a secret for over ten years after its first pre-production test flight. The project is what is technically known as a Special Access Program (SAP). More often, such projects are referred to as “black programs.”
So what was the first sign of the existence of SR-91 Aurora ? On 6 March 1990, one of the United States Air Force’s Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird spyplanes shattered the official air speed record from Los Angeles to Washington’s Dulles Airport. There, a brief ceremony marked the end of the SR-71’s operational career. Officially, the SR-71 was being retired to save the $200-$300 million a year it cost to operate the fleet. Some reporters were told the plane had been made redundant by sophisticated spy satellites.

[TonyGosling]

Aurora Project Behind UFO Sightings In Scotland? From: Stig Agermose <stig.agermose@mail.dk>

Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 14:53:28 +0200

Fwd Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 09:12:07 -0400

Subject: Aurora Project Behind UFO Sightings In Scotland?


Source: The Press and Journal, Aberdeen, Sunday April 14 2002, via IndyMedia, UK,

http://uk.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=3D27889

Stig

***

LATEST U.S. STEALTH TECHNOLOGY MOVES TO WESTERN SCOTLAND

by The Press and Journal, Aberdeen 9:45pm Sun Apr 14 '02

**

Soaring at 5,000 miles per hour through the night sky these unidentified flying objects could be a 21st century addition to NATO's airforce. Radar stations at Prestwick, West Freugh and RAF Buchan may have tracked their movements as they fly between secret airbases and the Norwegian Fjords, but the Ministry of Defence and the US Air Force deny they even exist.

Nic Outterside investigates

*

ALMOST invisible to radar, the F-117 Stealth fighter is one of the most sophisticated warplanes ever built.

But for seven years the US Government denied that the top- secret aircraft - nicknamed Nighthawk - existed.

Then, in 1991, 40 Stealth fighters were suddenly deployed for action in the Gulf War.

Ranging the night skies over Baghdad on 1,270 missions the Nighthawks struck the most heavily defended Iraqi targets to stunning effect.

Now from the cloak of X-Files denial comes a Stealth successor: more powerful, blacker, faster and even more secret.

Under the codename Project Aurora - which may be a wrap for several secret aircraft - the planes are classified within the US defence department's black programme - one whose existence is not admitted by the authorities.

Experts claim experimental and prototype Aurora aircraft are using Scotland, the skies above the North Sea and the wilderness areas of far-Northern Europe as their testing ground.

Bill Sweetman, former technical editor for Jane's Information Group and an author of three books on Stealth technology claims the areas are ideal proving ranges.

"It certainly keeps them out of the eyes and ears of the US observers," he said.

He claims that after 17 years the US defence department is reaching the latter stages of trialing space-age military aircraft capable of astonishing speeds.

"There continues to be a huge black hole in what we know the Pentagon has spent money on," he told the Press and Journal.

"In 1999 black projects accounted for $12.1 billion of USAF research expenditure - that is almost 40% of the $32 billion research and development budget."

Advanced secret aircraft developed at highly classified Government facilities in the Nevada Desert almost certainly include both manned and unmanned hypersonic jets designed to perform strategic reconnaissance and other less conventional missions for the US Air Force and its NATO allies.

A number of these aircraft have been seen and heard by ground- based and airborne observers in the western USA and in northern Europe during the past 10 years.

Based on more than 60 eye-witness reports there appears to be at least three distinct types of vehicle:

One is a "triangular-shaped quiet aircraft" observed with a fleet of Stealth fighters several times between 1989 and 1995. This may be a demonstrator or prototype of the much vaunted McDonnell Douglas A-12.

Another is a high speed aeroplane characterised by a very loud, deep rumbling roar, reminiscent of heavy-lift space rockets. In flight it makes a pulsing sound and leaves a segmented vapour trail.

The final contender is a high altitude jet that crosses the night sky at extremely high speed and at altitudes in excess of 50,000 feet. It is usually observed as single bright light but no engine noise or sonic boom is heard.

Observations are augmented by many reports of low-pitched, rumbling sonic booms.

In one seven month period a small team of observers in California logged at least 30 sonic booms believed to be produced by the same unknown aircraft.

Claims have surfaced that booms from Aurora test flights are responsible for sudden avalanches in Norway and an earthquake in the Netherlands as well as unexplained radar blips, eerie noises and isolated UFO sightings in Scotland.

Reporters from Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten say they have received numerous complaints of sudden bass-like booms from isolated fishing communities and farmsteads between Trondheim and Narvik, followed by sudden avalanches of snow.

They say that recently released information suggests that a 1986 avalanche in the Troms area of northern Norway, which killed 16 NATO soldiers, may have been triggered by early tests of a secret supersonic jet.

The P and J understands that Norwegian Government officials are now concerned about Aurora flights, damage caused by sonic booms and the lack of consultation from their US NATO allies.

An Oslo-based Government spokesman said they were carrying out long-standing research into the causes of avalanches and they were aware of the concern over test flights by military aircraft from the UK.

"We always receive a number of complaints from people over low- flying aircraft and sonic booms - and it is probably true that some sonic booms cause avalanches," he added.

However, he refused to comment on the existence or activities of the Aurora.

Dutch scientists have meanwhile blamed the secret jet for causing a sudden earth tremor which jolted the north coast of the Netherlands.

A North-east RAF base recently traced a very fast radar blip across the North Sea. But when the incident was reported to RAF Buchan, superior officers denied all knowledge of it.

Oceanic Air Traffic Control at Prestwick also tracked fast- moving radar blips. It was claimed by staff that a "hypersonic jet was the only rational conclusion" for the readings.

Experts claim the Aurora has probably flown out of RAF Machrihanish airfield in Argyll while hi-tech tracking equipment at Benbecula, RAE West Freugh in Galloway and Fylingdales monitor its progress.

There have been reports of unidentified night-time aircraft noises from Machrihanish for a number of years.

But with the Kintyre base now downgraded to a care and maintenance position, experts are puzzled about the location of the Aurora's new European test base.

Maryland journalist Lee Hickling has studied Aurora sightings in great detail.

"The information currently available shows Scotland and the North Sea are used extensively for the testing of these aircraft," he said.

Mr Hickling, who for nine years covered science and manned space for the Gannet Newspapers Washington bureau, added: "I believe it is extremely likely that the aircraft - test beds for hypersonic engine and control technology - would be unmanned, because human bodies could not stand the G forces generated by manoeuvres at hypersonic speed."

But last night Bill Sweetman said high speed - such as at Mach 7 or 8 - would not exclude manned aircraft. "It is only when you manoeuvre an aircraft at that speed that G forces come into play," he said.

Mr Sweetman said the development of the Aurora within the US defence department's "black projects" was a natural progression from the Stealth fighter, which first flew in 1982.

"They would not have sat still for 17 years," he said.

"The evidence is strong that high speed propulsion and aerodynamics are at the cutting edge of this new development and the long runways at Groom Lake (USA) and Machrihanish would be ideal to fly the plane from."

He said the skeleton staff at the "care and maintenance" RAF Machrihanish would be a perfect cover for further trialing of Aurora aircraft.

"One of the missions of high altitude supersonic aircraft was to operate over the North Atlantic as a reconnaissance strike system against the Soviet Northern Fleet and it would be natural to continue that test range despite the end of the cold war."

The ultimate in aerodynamics the aircraft could reach anywhere in the world in three hours, he claimed.

However an MoD spokesman said last night: "There are no United States Air Force prototype aircraft based at British airbases and no authorisation has been given by Her Majesty's Government to the USAF - or any other US body - to operate such aircraft within or from the United Kingdom.

A spokesman for the US defence department denied any knowledge of Aurora or "Deep Black" aircraft. Mr Sweetman said it was natural for British and US military spokesman to deny the existence of the plane.

"Put it this way," he said, "In 1988 the US Air Force had 50 F- 117 Stealth aircraft operating in Nevada and still denied they existed."

[TonyGosling]

So secret, its existence is not even acknowledged: Futuristic 'Aurora' spy plane that travels at SIX TIMES the speed of sound is blamed for mysterious booms heard at the weekend
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2855795/So-secret-exis tence-not-acknowledged-Futuristic-Aurora-spy-plane-travels-SIX-TIMES-s peed-sound-blamed-mysterious-booms-heard-weekend.html

Sounds reported at the weekend from Aberdeen to Devon in the UK
Similar noises were also reported in Lockport and Clarence in New York
A woman in south London managed to record the mysterious bangs
One expert claims the noises sound like a 'pulse detonation engine'
Conspiracy theorists say power source could be behind a hypersonic US spy plane, dubbed Aurora
The top-secret Aurora project was first first reported on in 1989 and it could be behind Lockheed Martin's SR-72 plane concept
By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:56, 1 December 2014 | UPDATED: 17:15, 1 December 2014

The origin of the mysterious bangs heard across the UK and New York at the weekend are yet to be officially identified.

But a leading theory is that they were created by an aircraft possibly travelling at supersonic or hypersonic speeds above the Atlantic.

This has led conspiracy theorists to attribute the booms to a spy plane rumoured to be under development by the US military, under the codename Aurora.

Scroll down for video

Theory: Aurora is rumoured to be a top secret aircraft in development since 1989. Last year Lockheed Martin announced it was developing a similar SR-72 spy plane (illustrated) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6 +8
Aurora is rumoured to be a top secret aircraft that has been in development since 1989. These claims originated in Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine in 1989. In November 2013, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing a similar SR-72 spy plane (illustrated) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6

Dr Bhupendra Khandelwal, an engineering research associate from Sheffield, claims the loud bangs were created by a type of experimental jet engine called a pulse detonation engine.


Claudia Angiletta, a resident from Croydon, South London, recorded the sounds as she was watching TV at home at around 10pm GMT on Saturday.

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Within minutes, Twitter users had started spreading hashtags - from the straightforward #loudbangs to the somewhat melodramatic #omgwereallgoingtodie.

At around the same time, residents in locations including Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Clarence and as far north as Niagara Falls on the east coast of the US also took to social media to report the unusual noises.

It's conceivable that with that sort of power, speed, and altitude, the sound would carry over a vast distance. #hypersonic #loudbangs

— Brailsford (@AviateX14) December 1, 2014
The continuous noise and odd sound it makes would then be explained by reverberations around the stratosphere. #loudbang #hypersonic

— Brailsford (@AviateX14) December 1, 2014
It seems to me that everyone has ruled out sonic booms, no one is considering hypersonic booms, both US & China developing it #loudbangs

— Brailsford (@AviateX14) December 1, 2014
Twitter user Brailsford believes the noises were created by hypersonic booms (tweets pictured above). He added that the continuous and odd sound could be explained by reverberations around the stratosphere

Could it be? An artist's image of the so-called Aurora project. Enthusiasts say one possible power source is a 'pulse detonation engine', whose sound is said to resemble that caught on an audio clip on Saturday +8
Enthusiasts claim that such a supersonic or hypersonic plans could be what caused the strange noises at the weekend. In particular, an expert said the sound is similar to that created by pulse detonation engines. An artist's illustration of what the Aurora plane could look like is pictured

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People described it as loud enough to shake their homes and rattle windows.

This has led conspiracy theorists to claim the power source could be behind a hypersonic US spy plane, dubbed Aurora.

Aurora is rumoured to be an ultra top secret aircraft that has been in development since 1989.

THE AURORA RUMOURS
Aurora is rumoured to be a top secret aircraft that has been in development since 1989.

It could be a successor to the Mach 3.35 Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird craft that was retired in 1998.

By comparison, extreme reports claim the Aurora could hit up to Mach 11.8.

These claims originated in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, which ran an article in 1989 about a a mysterious entry in the 1985 US budget.

The entry said $445 million was attributed to 'black aircraft production' under the name Aurora.

These reports did not reference a single craft, instead they discussed a series of planes.

Other reports suggest the Aurora programme kicked off at Lockheed Martin's Skunkworks in 1987.

The firm was said to be looking into replacing its SR-71 Blackbird.

In November 2013, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing for its SR-72 spy plane.

It said the plane can accelerate up to Mach 6, or 4,567mph (7,349km/h) - three times faster than Concorde.

It could be a successor to the Mach 3.35 Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird craft that was retired in 1998.

By comparison, extreme reports claim the Aurora could hit up to Mach 11.8.

These claims originated in Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, which ran an article in 1989 about a mysterious entry in the 1985 US budget.

The entry said $445 million was attributed to 'black aircraft production' under the name Aurora.

These reports did not reference a single craft, instead they discussed a series of planes.

Other reports suggest the Aurora programme kicked off at Lockheed Martin's Skunkworks in 1987.

The firm was said to be looking into replacing its SR-71 Blackbird, which was later retired in 1998.

However, the former head of Lockheed's Skunkworks division, Ben Rich, said Aurora was a codename for the stealth project which eventually led to the B-2 Spirit.

But, in November 2013, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing a spy plane with similar technologies called SR-72.

The firm said the plane can accelerate up to Mach 6, or 4,567mph (7,349km/h) - three times faster than Concorde.

Concorde flew no faster than Mach 2, primarily because the materials weren’t available in the Sixties that could withstand greater heat.

Technology has advanced since then, and the SR-72 will be a so-called ‘warm structure’ - it will heat up rather than reflect the heat using the sort of ceramic tiles that covered the Space Shuttle.

Concorde wasn’t allowed to fly supersonic over land because of the ‘sonic boom’ - the sound associated with the shockwaves created by a craft moving faster than the speed of sound.

Aurora is rumoured to be a top secret aircraft that has been in development since 1989. It could be a successor to the Mach 3.35 Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird craft that was retired in 1998 (pictured). These claims originated in Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine in 1989
Aurora is rumoured to be a top secret aircraft that has been in development since 1989. It could be a successor to the Mach 3.35 Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird craft that was retired in 1998 (pictured). These claims originated in Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine in 1989

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A PDE engine works by using force from a series of explosions, caused by mixing a fuel mist and air intake, to thrust itself forward. Its contrails appear to look like 'rings on a rope' (pictured), or a spine +8
A PDE engine works by using force from a series of explosions, caused by mixing a fuel mist and air intake, to thrust itself forward. It can theoretically power planes at five times the speed of sound. A PDE can detonate between 60 and 100 times a second and its contrails appear to look like 'rings on a rope' (pictured), or a spine

According to experts, including Dr Phillip Atcliffe, senior lecturer in aeronautical engineering at Salford University, if a passenger jet flew at Mach 6 at current jet altitudes of around 30,000ft (9,144 metres), the sonic boom could damage buildings.

Officials routinely deny Aurora exists. But that has not dampened the spirits of the theorists, who point to a sighting of a mysterious triangular object by a North Sea oil engineer in August 1989.

Dr Khandelwal was keen to distance himself from the world of conspiracy theories, though he conceded there could always some things unknown to the public.


‘Of course we can’t know for sure if someone else could have the technology already,' he said.


Dr Khandelwal, is among a team of scientists working on the technology behind such types of 'pulse detonation engine'.

'It makes the same kind of pulsing sound as the one on this audio,' he told MailOnline.

WHAT WOULD AN AURORA PLANE LOOK LIKE?
Speed: Speeds are reported to be in the range of Mach 5 to 8.

Length: 110ft (33.5 metres)

Wingspan: 60ft (18.2 metres)

Engine: There are a number of possible engine technologies that have been linked to the Aurora project.

In November 2013, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing for its SR-72 spy plane (pictured) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6 +8
In November 2013, Lockheed Martin announced it was developing for its SR-72 spy plane (pictured) said to be able to accelerate up to Mach 6

One in particular, which Dr Bhupendra Khandelwal an engineering research associate from Sheffield believes may have caused the booms heard over the UK and New York, is called a pulse detonation engine (PDE), or pulse detonation wave engine (PDWE).

At regular speeds, the craft would be powered by a traditional jet engines built into the lower fuselage.

Once it hits supersonic speed, the PDE takes over.

A PDE works by sending liquid methane or liquid hydrogen into the engine. The fuel mist is then ignited.

This detonation is made inside a specially designed chamber and occurs when the aircraft is travelling beyond the speed of sound.

At these speeds, a 'thrust wall' is created.

This is when the craft is travelling so fast, air is pushed near the nose that creates a 'wall'.

When the detonation occurs, the aircraft's thrust wall is pushed forward, and this is repeated numerous times to propel the aircraft forward.

Alternatively, pulsejets could compress the air caused as the craft travels forward to make it more streamline, while fuel is ignited in a combustion chamber.

The pressure of the expanding gases in this chamber then propel the jet forward.

Weapons: Rumours claim the Aurora may be equipped with air-to-ground weapons, but this would add weight to the craft, suggesting it is more likely that the plane would be used to reach destinations and reconnaissance missions instead.

‘When we run a test engine it’s a real industrial noise and you can hear it for miles. We have people coming to us asking to make less noise or keep it to the daytime.'

A PDE engine works by using the force from a series of explosions, caused by mixing a fuel mist and air intake, to thrust itself forward. It can theoretically power planes at five times the speed of sound.

The technology builds upon 'pulsejet' principles which first emerged in the early 1900s and were used in German V-1 flying bombs.

Test flights using the most recent forms of the technology have lasted only a few seconds, but it is still listed by conspiracy theorists as a possible way of powering the so-called Aurora spy jet.

Concorde flew no faster than Mach 2, mainly because the materials weren’t available in the Sixties that could withstand greater heat. Technology has advanced, and the SR-72 (engine details pictured) will be a so-called ‘warm structure’ - that will heat up rather than reflect the heat +8
Concorde flew no faster than Mach 2, mainly because the materials weren’t available in the Sixties that could withstand greater heat. Technology has advanced, and the SR-72 (engine details pictured) will be a so-called ‘warm structure’ - that will heat up rather than reflect the heat

Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said: 'If an aircraft is responsible, then it’s worth noting that it may not be local at all.

'Because the sound wave that causes the boom can be reflected by the stratosphere, the source of the event could conceivably be hundreds or thousands of miles away from the place where it is heard on the ground.'


But Dr Andrew Taylor, a senior lecturer in aviation at Buckinghamshire New University, said the noises did not sound like a normal sonic boom.

WHAT IS HYPERSONIC TRAVEL AND WHAT CAUSES THE SONIC BOOM?

A supersonic plane is one that flies faster than the speed of sound, at Mach 1 or greater, using a jet engine.

Mach 2.5 is about the speed limit for gas-turbine engines. Any faster and the temperature and pressure of air entering the engine is too high for the turbo machinery inside.

To fly at hypersonic speed - Mach 5 and above - requires a different type of engine such as a supersonic-combustion ramjet, or scramjet.

These engines have no moving parts. Instead of the rotating compressor and turbine in a jet engine, air is compressed and expanded by complex systems of shockwaves under the front of the aircraft, inside the inlet and under the fuselage at the rear.


Travel becomes hypersonic when temperatures get so hot that air molecules become unstable and begin losing electrons. At these speeds the air becomes an electrically-charged field.

At supersonic speeds, air moves through a series of channels until is slowed down to a point where fuel can be more easily injected and ignited. This releases energy and thrust.

At hypersonic speed, this air moves even faster, which makes it difficult to slow down to the speed of sound and therefore requires specialist fuel and technologies, as seen in engines including the pulse detonation engine (PDE).

Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. As objects travel through the air, molecules are pushed aside with great force and this forms a shock wave much like a boat creates a bow wave. The width of the so-called boom 'carpet' beneath the aircraft is around one mile (1.6km) for each 1,000ft (304 metres) of altitude +8
Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. As objects travel through the air, molecules are pushed aside with great force and this forms a shock wave much like a boat creates a bow wave. The width of the so-called boom 'carpet' beneath the aircraft is around one mile (1.6km) for each 1,000ft (304 metres) of altitude

A PDE can make between 60 and 100 detonations a second.

The sonic boom is created when an aircraft or other type of vehicle flies overhead faster than the speed of sound.

Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. As objects travel through the air, the air molecules are pushed aside with great force and this forms a shock wave much like a boat creates a bow wave. The bigger and heavier the aircraft, the more air it displaces.

The width of the so-called boom 'carpet' beneath the aircraft is around one mile (1.6km) for every 100ft (30.5 metres) of altitude.

An aircraft, for example, flying supersonic at 50,000ft (15,240 metres) can produce a sonic boom cone about 50 miles (80km) wide.

'Because the sound wave that causes the boom can be reflected by the stratosphere, the source of the event could conceivably be hundreds or thousands of miles away from the place where it is heard on the ground.'
Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists
The sonic boom, however, doesn't sound the same at each point.

The maximum intensity is heard directly beneath the aircraft, and this decreases as the lateral distance from the flight path increases until it ceases to exist because the shock waves refract away from the ground.

The spread of the sonic boom depends only upon altitude, speed and the atmosphere - and is independent of the vehicle's shape, size, and weight.

Although the speed at which it was travelling, and its location above the Atlantic could reduce this altitude and spread.

Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists, said: 'If an aircraft is responsible, then it’s worth noting that it may not be local at all.

'Because the sound wave that causes the boom can be reflected by the stratosphere, the source of the event could conceivably be hundreds or thousands of miles away from the place where it is heard on the ground.'


But Dr Andrew Taylor, a senior lecturer in aviation at Buckinghamshire New University, said the noises did not sound like a normal sonic boom.

Meanwhile, Professor Trevor Cox, an acoustic engineer from Salford University told MailOnline: 'To have heard a noise simultaneously in New York and the UK, the source of the sound must have been flying half way between.

'That's an awful long way - about 4,000 miles. You do get cases of sounds travelling a long way, for example, in 2005, sounds from the Buncefield fire travelled around 125 miles to Belgium.

'But in this instance, it sounds quite unlikely.'

'With smaller fighter jets just a single boom would be heard, or, as with Concorde, a "double boom" might be heard from larger aircraft as both the nose and tail cause shock waves,' he said.

'It sounds like gunfire or other ammunition, similar to what I used to hear as a child growing up in Lincolnshire when the RAF and USAF aircraft used to do bombing runs on the east coast bombing ranges.

THE RACE FOR SUPERSONIC AND HYPERSONIC TRAVEL
Scramjets have been under development for decades, but a breakthrough came in May 2013, when the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and running until its fuel was exhausted.

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - then unveiled plans to develop a successor, dubbed the SR-72, pictured

The next step is to build a high-speed cruise missile, able to strike distant targets in minutes, not hours.

Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and ramjet/scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing.

If it can secure funding from the U.S. Defense Department, Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030, potentially paving the way for commercial applications of scramjet technology.

'It could be geological or meteorological, but certainly not aeronautical in my opinion.'

Many Twitter users suspected sonic booms, similar to ones which shook Kent last month when two RAF jets intercepted a Latvian cargo plane in British airspace.

But a Ministry of Defence spokesman told MailOnline last night she had no records of any jets being scrambled.

Others suggested unusual weather conditions might be the source, but the Met Office dismissed those claims and said there was nothing out of the ordinary.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'It definitely wasn't meteorological'.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been a fireworks display in Croydon, but Twitter users insisted that could not explain sounds in Bedfordshire, Glasgow, North Devon, Leicestershire and West Sussex.

At around the same time, a loud boom was reported by a number of people in the upstate New York areas of Buffalo, Cheektowaga and Clarence more than 3,000 miles away.

People described it as loud enough to shake their homes and rattle windows.

In the US, in particular, the boom was attributed to a micro-earthquake.

But Brian Baptie, seismologist at the British Geological Survey told MailOnline: 'Micro earthquakes are small.

'Usually too small for people to feel and it’s extremely unlikely that the noises were caused by this.

'Even small earthquakes some have audible phenomenon. For example, the Folkestone earthquake of 2007, that had a magnitude of 4.3, had a loud booming noise.

'This is because the vibrations travel through the ground, and when this is coupled with the atmosphere it generates sound waves that can be heard over a large distance.

'But, observing this noise across such a large distance, including across countries, is unlikely.

Reaction: There was an explosion of activity on Twitter, where some users came up with their own theories
Many of the reports were picked up by Twitter user Virtual Astronomer (pictured), who said space debris re-entering the earth's atmosphere could have been responsible. He also said he was convinced the noises were created by aircraft sonic booms

One possible explanation is that the loud noise and ground shaking could have been a meteorite breaking up in the atmosphere, which would result in a sonic boom - a claim backed by expert Dr Caroline Smith +8
One possible explanation is that the loud noise and ground shaking could have been a meteorite breaking up in the atmosphere, which would result in a sonic boom - but this was dismissed by another expert

'It’s a well-known phenomenon and happens for big earthquakes, but if this was the case it would have been felt as well, too, so it is unlikely the booms would just be down to an earthquake.'


Ms Angiletta, who recorded the sounds told MailOnline: 'I was just at home watching TV when I couldn't hear the program due to the loud noises. It was very distracting as it went on for ages.

'I went out to look for fireworks but I couldn't see anything in the sky. That's when I recorded the clip to send to my family to see if they could hear the same thing.'



The 27-year-old said that her family, who live roughly seven miles away in Norbury, south London, could also hear the sounds, which lasted for about 30 minutes. She then turned to Twitter to see if anyone could explain what they were.

If an aircraft is responsible, then it’s worth noting that it may not be local at all... The source of the event could conceivably be hundreds or thousands of miles away
Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists
Many of the reports were picked up by Twitter user Virtual Astronomer, who said space debris re-entering the earth's atmosphere could have been responsible.

'Space debris such as old satellites and things can cause sonic booms heard over very large areas,' he told MailOnline. 'It's the same for big meteors or rocks that come in.

'There was very little wind last night so conditions were perfect for sound to travel very long distances.'

Science writer David Dickinson was among the experts who dismissed the meteor theory.

He told MailOnline that there was one piece of debris from Russian satellite Kosmos 2251 scheduled for re-entry, but said that the timing was 'not a good fit' for it to have been over the UK.

He added: 'I do not think it was a meteor or a piece of space-junk, as the noises mentioned spanned a large segment of time. Plus, unless it was cloudy over the U.K., there would've been visual sightings.



Theories: There was no shortage of ideas when it came to the possible source of the noises +8
Theories: There was no shortage of ideas when it came to the possible source of the noises









Dave Reed, who lives in Fareham, Hampshire, said his dogs 'went crazy for a couple of minutes' after hearing what he had assumed were fireworks.

The noises prompted conspiracy theories and immediate claims of a 'media blackout'.

Twitter user Carrie Proctor wrote: 'This is how we'll find our that WW3 has begun. It'll be a Twitter hashtag long before any official announcement!'

One MailOnline reader heard similar noises in Belgium.

Hyacinth Fahsi, who lives in Grimbergen, near Brussels, said the sound at 11pm local time - the same time as it was heard in Britain - woke his daughter and matched the recording in Croydon.

Describing the sound as 'repetitive explosions', he said: 'I first thought it was firework but it was different. Maybe thunder, but the sky was clear and I didn't see lightning, even far away.

'I wasn't thinking about it until my wife read your article.'

Do you have a recording of last night's loud bangs? If so, we would like to hear from you. Please email dan.bloom@mailonline.co.uk