Years ago I bought some of Testors’ “speculative” aircraft kits including the SR-75. I’ve been looking for their Aurora to go with it but had no luck so far. Anyone know where I could find one? Thanks in advance for anytips.
A top secret stealth airplane that the US Government says does not exist and you wonder where the model is? The kit does not exist either…or so I am told…by the US Government. How would anyone know if the kit was accurate or not? Pulse detonation engines looks like what? A one or two crew cockpit? Two if you believe, as many do that he pilot flys on drugs administered to him by the SRO in order to keep his reflexes on the edge of his game.
I’d like to see the kit but I wonder if I would buy it knowing that it might just be a fantasy model.
Peewee
Peewee
i did a google search and heres what i came up with
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/onlinecatalog.htm
mid page theres a 1/72nd scale all-resin kit, i couldn’t find a testors kit but a more thorough search might turn one up. The concept of the Aurora is pretty interesting but was most likely scrapped in favor of satilites and drones to obtain intel rather than risking a pilot, prolly more cost effective too. Looks like an interesting build
From my understanding about this so called stealth spy plane it never left the drawing board. It was concluded that complex compound curves it required was an engineering impossibility and could not be produced until the technology it would have needed has advanced. Furthermore it was speculated that this is what the F-117 looked like before the Air Force acknowleged it publicly.
Air Master
The “XR-7 Thunder Dart” (no kidding, that’s what Testor’s designated the aircraft that piggy-backs on the SR-75) shows up on evilBay regularly and I’ve seen it sell for not a lot of money and for a stupid-high amounts. Just keep an eye out there and you’ll come across one.
Thanks for the info, guys.
As for the “real” history of the Aurora, I was in my 20’s when the hype over the top-secret plane that probably never existed was going on. I realize the thing’s probably about as real as cold fusion, but my SR-75 might look a little lonely when it’s done without a buddy.
Then again, do we know for sure it wasn’t real? Was it just another code name for Dark Star ( another theory i heard once ) or are they hiding something that would fill in the gaps satellites leave in crucial situations?
Of course, you might be better off with a trained bird and a lipstick-size camera.
Heck, the hype is still going on… There’s a lot of people that refuse to let that thing die. I think there’s a pretty good chance they were working on something to replace the 71. There’s been a few higher-ups in the military and government that have almost admitted they had something, but that it just didn’t do what they wanted and it really wasn’t needed any more. The 71 program was a huge money pit with all the support it needed, and a new plane would have been the same. There’s also the fact that something was breaking the sound barrier on a path from the ocean to Nevada in the early/mid nineties. I know this is true, because I heard it myself once. Whether that was the “Aurora”, I have no idea. It could have just been a few last 71 flights that they kept secret. They still had a few in flying condition then. I believe Ben Rich also said in his book that “Aurora” was nothing more than the code name for budgetary stuff on the B-2. I don’t know if the timeline matches for that, but that’s what he said. One interesting thing… If you look at Groom Lake, you’ll notice there are a series of very long black roll-out lines painted on the lake, which extend out form the end of the runway. That’s miles of rollout space… Something would have to be going pretty fast to have enough momentum to carry it that far, even with no brakes. Dry lakes do a pretty good job at slowing an object to begin with, because the crusty surface has a dampening effect. Whether they actually need all that roll-out space for something, or they just like messing with people’s heads… Who knows.
Dave
www.TheNorthSpin.com
Dedicated to Aircraft Flight Test for the Aviation Enthusiast
Dark Star, Aurora, Godess of the Dawn…were among the code names used for the aircraft. Godess of the Dawn because Aurora was the ancient Roman equivalent of Eos , the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn . Aurora is the Latin word for dawn. Aurora renews herself every morning at dawn and flies across the sky …blah, blah, blah.
Peewee
(sigh) All this talking has got me antsy. Here’s the deal.
My LHS actually HAS a kit of the SR-75/Aurora composite. BOTH airframes are included. With all this discussion, I’ve actually been thinking seriously about picking it up…
Just stoppin’ by to say THANK YOU! [}:)]