Several sightings were made in the 1980s of triangular aircraft from areas near Groom Lake. People who worked at various sites in Nevada said that such a triangular shape was quite familiar and 'has been around a long time.'[721] It was assumed these were sightings of the Northrop test aircraft.
Another sighting reportedly occurred in 1986. Despite the Groom Mountain land seizure, Greenpeace continued efforts to infiltrate the nuclear test site. During one such attempt, a group from Greenpeace was trespassing near the Groom Lake area. They reported seeing a black, triangular-shaped aircraft flying slowly overhead. The 'group's hair stood on end' at the sight of the plane. Years later, several of the group said they thought it was a subscale flying prototype of the B-2.[722]
In 1988, an article claimed that Northrop had built three of the scaled-down prototypes for its stealth bomber. They had been flying since 1981.[723]
It was not until 1990 that the Northrop aircraft received its name. In a book on the F-117A, it was stated that the project was under way in the early 1980s, the same time as the FSD tests. The plane was described as 'a Northrop Stealth prototype' which was 'a demonstrator for the 'seamless' design philosophy.' Lockheed engineers nicknamed the plane Shamu, because it resembled the killer whale at Sea World.
According to one story, the Lockheed engineers were initially not cleared to see the Northrop aircraft, while the Northrop personnel were not to see the Lockheed F-117A FSD aircraft. The result was that each group had to remain indoors whenever the other plane was in the air. This disrupted operations for both programs, and each group was eventually cleared to see the other's airplane.[724]
Again, the report implied Shamu was a flying-wing design. Seen from the side, the B-2 fuselage does look whalelike. According to some stories, Shamu was 60 percent the size of the B-2 (the same scale as the Have Blue). This would indicate a wingspan of 103 feet and a length of 41 feet.
It was also said that Shamu could fit sideways inside a C-5 transport. The Northrop aircraft is understood to have operated from a hangar at the south end of Groom Lake, separate from those used by Lockheed. (It also housed the T-38 chase planes.)[725]
Yet, there were inconsistencies. If Shamu really had a wingspan of 100-plus feet, it was rather large for a subscale test aircraft, and far larger than the 'fighter-sized' plane
If it was this large, the claim it could fit inside a C-5 is in error — the interior volume of a C-5 is 121 feet long but only 19 feet wide.[726] Additionally, Northrop personnel and the air force have repeatedly denied that a subscale test aircraft for the B-2 was built. [727]
It was believed by some that Shamu had given rise to a family of flying-wing Black airplanes. Over the years, a number of different reports circulated about triangular or manta-ray-shaped Black airplanes. The smaller of these had a wingspan of about 60 feet. It was described as having a rounded nose and wingtips, with a trailing wing edge that was slightly curved, rather than the W shape of the F-117A.
The sightings began in mid-1989, when daylight operations of the F-117A started. The normal pattern was for several F-117As to fly the same route, separated by eight to ten minutes. Observers would report that three or four F-117As would pass, then the triangular plane, then three or four more F-117As. The plane was described as both larger and quieter than the F-117As. It showed a similar lighting pattern to the F-117As — amber lights at the wingtips and a red light near the nose.
There were also sightings of the triangular plane on moonlit nights. Several such sightings occurred on the night of May 3, 1990. Five different observers reported seeing it over Mojave, Lancaster, Palmdale, and Tehachapi, California, (near Edwards Air Force Base) during a four-hour period.[728]
The triangular plane was soon given the name 'TR-3A Black Manta.' As the 'history' of the program was reconstructed, it is claimed that Northrop was awarded a contract in late 1978 to develop a stealth test aircraft. It was a flying-wing design called the tactical high altitude penetrator (THAP).
The story continues that the test aircraft made its first flight in 1981 (a reference to the 1981
The TR-3A is described as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft. It was speculated its reconnaissance data and target information were relayed directly to the F-117As in near real time. It was also claimed the TR-3A could designate targets for the F-117As, that is, illuminate them with a laser so the F-117A's LGB could strike. Reports said it was likely that the plane was operational and had been used in the Gulf War.[730]
The TR-3A was not the only triangular aircraft reported. Months before the B-2 made its first flight, sightings were made of a large flying-wing-shaped aircraft. Later, sightings were made of this aircraft on moonlit nights while the B-2 was grounded. The aircraft was described as having a wingspan of 150 feet. (This is similar to the descriptions of the large Shamu.) It is also described as being highly maneuverable. In one case, it was claimed that the aircraft turned 90 degrees on its wingtip. It was speculated that this was a prototype B-2, a technology demonstrator for the B-2, or a one-of-a-kind experimental prototype.[731]
Even more remarkable are claims of a huge black boomerang-shaped flying wing that moves silently at speeds as low as 20 knots. It is described as being 600 to 800 feet in wingspan. Several Antelope Valley residents have reported seeing it slowly moving through the night sky. One said it was moving so slowly that he could jog along with it. The big triangle is also described as making such 'unlikely maneuvers' as coming to a full stop, tipping upright, and hovering in this vertical position. It is also claimed that a pattern of small white lights on the triangle's black underside provide 'constellation camouflage' against the starry night sky.
Although noting this was 'a craft that simply strains credulity,' and that 'such sightings encourage those who link the military with unearthly technology,' some suggest that it could be a lighter-than-air craft propelled by slowly turning propellers. The vertical hovering suggests to some that it acts as a reflector for a bistatic radar system. In this system, a transmitter emits a 'fence' of radar signals, which is reflected back to a receiver. If a plane crosses the fence, it would be detected. Another possibility put forth is that the aircraft is used for troop transport or covert surveillance.[732]
By late 1993, two new triangular Black airplanes began to be talked about. One was the Northrop 'F-121 Sentinel.' It is described as being an equilateral triangle with the tips flattened. Its three sloping sides met at a point, giving it the appearance of a pyramid. At the center of the F-121's underside was a depression and a dome- shaped nozzle. It is claimed that a squadron of the planes are based at the Northrop RCS facility at Tehachapi.
The site had no runway, but the planes take off and land vertically from the underground bunkers.[733]
The other new Black airplane is called the 'Artichoke.' The plane is described as similar to the F-117A in shape; but at least 20 percent bigger, with a two-man crew and a larger bomb load. The rear of the plane has several spikes, giving it the appearance of an artichoke. It is further claimed that the design was tested with a subscale flying model about the size of the Have Blue. The Artichoke is claimed to be based at TTR. Despite the move of the F-117As to Holloman Air Force Base, security has been beefed up at TTR. It is suggested the Artichoke is the F-117A's replacement. The F—117As would, in turn, be modified for Wild Weasel SAM-hunting missions.[734]
Despite the sightings, these stories of large triangular Black airplanes received, at best, a limited following. Shamu, on the other hand, seemed more likely to be real. There were the eyewitness accounts of both the Lockheed engineers and Greenpeace protestors. It seemed likely there was a flying-wing test bed, which had pioneered the technology for the B-2 and the 'TR-3A.'
Then, suddenly, Shamu changed shape.
In early 1994, all the assumptions about Shamu were challenged. Rather than a flying-wing design, the 'new'
