TR-3 "Black Manta"

[overscan (PaulMM)]

THAP was a technical precursor to the F-117 and TACIT BLUE. It was an obsolete concept by the late 1970s.

 

[Scott Kenny]

THAP was a technical precursor to the F-117 and TACIT BLUE. It was an obsolete concept by the late 1970s.

Is there a forum thread on this history, or is it just lurking in a book I need to read?

 

[quellish]

Is there a forum thread on this history, or is it just lurking in a book I need to read?

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/affdl-tactical-high-altitude-penetrator-thap.7040/

 

[Scott Kenny]

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/affdl-tactical-high-altitude-penetrator-thap.7040/

thank you!

 

[Ninja]

I believe that is an artist's impression based on an aircraft that Steve Douglass saw and videotaped at Roving Sands in 1993. Steve thought it may be the TR-3 at the time. IIRC, Steve's description of the shape was similar to the Northrop ATA.

Wired did an article that covered it a little in 1994:

Stealth Watchers

Armed with commercially available technology, a small group of citizens are unmasking the US Defense Department's black budget aircraft.

www.wired.com

Let's say there was no such thing as the TR-3, then what the heck did Steve Douglass record then? Also, is there other threads dedicated to unknown aircraft caught on camera? The threads im aware of are the 2013 Texas Triangular aircraft trio, and the Mackbolin aircraft.

Photo below is an enhanced image of what Steven Douglass saw.

 

[Black Dog]

Let's say there was no such thing as the TR-3, then what the heck did Steve Douglass record then? Also, is there other threads dedicated to unknown aircraft caught on camera? The threads im aware of are the 2013 Texas Triangular aircraft trio, and the Mackbolin aircraft.

Photo below is an enhanced image of what Steven Douglass saw.

Not convinced that is a geniune non-altered photo, however I always found this story interesting.. particularly the picture in the article from Holloman AFB:

A plea from Area 51

deepbluehorizon.blogspot.com

 

[quellish]

Photo below is an enhanced image of what Steven Douglass saw.

No, that is an obvious fake.
What Steve Douglass recorded at Roving Sands is shown here:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Monitoring-TImes/1990s/Monitoring-Times-1993-12.pdf

Page 49

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Added the picture from Monitoring Times to the post.

 

[Ninja]

No, that is an obvious fake.
What Steve Douglass recorded at Roving Sands is shown here:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Monitoring-TImes/1990s/Monitoring-Times-1993-12.pdf

Page 49

My bad. I thought the photo was an enhanced picture from the same sighting featured in this TV series, which Steve Douglass also appears in.

View: https://youtu.be/2Lp1mkOXwRA?si=vIbC6VElcHiSZogX
20:33

 

[Archibald]

Must have been a swamp gas explosion, reflecting on planet Venus...

 

[CJGibson]

Must have been a swamp gas explosion, reflecting on planet Venus...

I quote J on that explanation.

Chris

(I watched MIB on the flight home yesterday)

 

[Archibald]

I quote J on that explanation.

Chris

(I watched MIB on the flight home yesterday)

We (the wife the kid and myself) watched MIB 3 a few days ago - we had to bunker in the house because COVID and also because of a storm.
"Boris the animal !" "It's just - BORIS !!"

 

[Ninja]

The designation TR-3 as pointed out many times, doesnt fit and was a mishearing. If the Black Manta was real, what would be its designation? UR-3? The U letter being to hide the aircraft I'm guessing, just like the U-2.

 

[Scott Kenny]

The designation TR-3 as pointed out many times, doesnt fit and was a mishearing. If the Black Manta was real, what would be its designation? UR-3? The U letter being to hide the aircraft I'm guessing, just like the U-2.

Remember that for a while the U-2 was designated TR-1, when the plane was fitted out for tactical recon. So TR-3 does kinda make sense.

For the "Black Manta as buddy-laser for F-117s" concept, the likely designation is something like OA-11, or maybe something out of the STOL series, OV-11.