6 Top-Secret Aircraft That Are Mistaken For UFOs

The CIA estimates that more than half of the UFOs reported in the 1950s and 1960s were really American spy planes. Here are six (no longer) secret aircraft that people have mistaken for extraterrestrial flying saucers.

Spy and stealth planes—some with bizarre, bat-shaped wings, others with triangular silhouettes that imply otherworldly designs—have long generated UFO sightings and lore. And official denials feed rumors that the government isn’t telling us about alien ships. The CIA estimates that over half of the UFOs reported from the ’50s through the ’60s were U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. At the time, the Air Force misled the public and the media to protect these Cold War programs; it’s possible the government’s responses to current sightings of classified craft—whether manned or remotely operated—are equally evasive. The result is an ongoing source of UFO reports and conspiracy theories. Here are the Earth-built craft that likely have lit up 911 switchboards over the years.

1. RQ-3 Darkstar

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin/Boeing

First Test Flight: 1996

Deployment: None (canceled in 1999)

Declassified: 1995

Size: 15 ft long; 69-ft wingspan

Performance: 288 mph (cruising speed); 45,000+ ft (max. alt)

UFO Link: The official life span of this unmanned spy plane was brief and disappointing, with a crash and a program cancellation after just three years. But in 2003, Aviation Week reported that a similar stealth UAV was being used in Iraq—fueling speculation that the government scrapped the craft publicly only to secretly r

esurrect it for clandestine missions.

2. U-2

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin

First Test Flight: 1955

Deployment: 1957 to present

Declassified: 1960

Size: 49 ft long; 80-ft wingspan

Performance: 410 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)

UFO Link: Designed for high-altitude re

connaissance, the U-2’s long, gliderlike wings and silver color would have been notable to observers on the ground and in the sky. In the 1960s the airplane was painted black to avoid reflections. The U-2 is also famous for being among the first classified planes to be flown from the Air Force’s secret test facility at Groom Lake, Nev.—aka Area 51.

3. SR-71 Blackbird

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin

First Test Flight: 1964

Deployment: 1966 to 1990, 1995 to 1998

Declassified: 1964

Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan

Performance: 2432 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)

UFO Link: The tailless spy plane has a

n even more unusual cross section than the U-2. This Area 51 alum was briefly reactivated in the 1990s, and rumors of a follow-up—the now-legendary Aurora project—have supplied both UFO believers and skeptics with a possible source of unexplained sightings.

4. P-791

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin

First Test Flight: 2006

Deployment: Unknown

UFO Link: Plane spotters’ photos and videos blew the top-secret cover off a 5-minute inaugural flight in Palmdale, Calif. The hybrid airship—it uses gas and a wing shape for lift—fuels speculation that classified airships quietly roams the night skies.

5. F-117A Nighthawk

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin

First Test Flight: 1981

Deployment: 1983 to 2008

Declassified: 1988

Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan

UFO Link: This long-range stealth fighter, which could stay aloft indefinitely thanks to midair refueling, remained classified through much of the 1980s during test flights at Tonopah Test Field Range in Nevada, 80 miles from the legendary Area 51 Groom Lake facility. Along with the B-2 Spirit, the batlike F-117A was a perfect candidate for triangular UFO sightings.

6. B-2 Spirit

Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman

First Test Flight: 1989

Deployment: 1997 to present

Declassified: 1988

Size: 69 ft long; 172-ft wingspan

UFO Link: Although the long-range bomber was never a true “black aircraft,” since it was displayed to the public approximately eight months before its first flight, an airborne B-2 is a UFO report waiting to happen. It looks like an alien craft from nearly any angle and specifically like a flying saucer when viewed head-on or in profile.

Strange Architecture: Bridge Design in the Netherlands

The Dutch have a tendency to do things differently. Take their leeves, which are giant storm-surge barriers specially made with synthetic textiles to keep the earth from eroding. Their bike paths are placed on equal footing as automotive roads. And their town planning, which merges private and public life by combining terraced houses with amenities like shops and sports facilities, is a far cry from the way American suburbs are planned.

Then there are Netherlands' bridges. Because of prevalent rivers throughout the country and boat traffic as high as the volume of vehicles on the road, a bridge in the Netherlands needs to be able to quickly raise and lower over relatively small waterways. Your average hinged drawbridge would be too big for most Dutch waterways, and a long, steep bridge would eat up precious resources. Dutch architects answer this conundrum with the tail bridge. A tail bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic.

The Slauerhoffbrug is one tail bridge that stands out, even in the bridge-happy Netherlands. The bridge, located in Leeuwarden, was designed by Van Driel Mechatronica to be a fully automatic bridge with an ability to sense and adapt to its surroundings. While this technology is not for just any bridge—more traffic requires a more intelligent controller—the bridge is sensibly high-tech for its area, says Bart Ney, a Public Information Officer for the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013. "The Slauerhoffbrug is immediately both iconic and utilitarian and allows optimum flow of maritime and automobile traffic," he says.

The Slauerhoffbrug crosses over the Harlinger Vaart River. "A movable bridge was necessary because a new beltway crossed this canal," van Driel says. Constructed in 2000 from iron and steel, the bridge is raised and lowered 10 times a day by two hydraulic cylinders located in a single pylon next to the bridge. The lift bearing, complete with asphalt and road markings, seamlessly disappears into the road when lowered. The base model of the bridge is a limited turntable bascule bridge, in which the rising section is counterbalanced by a weight, like the Pegasusbrug near Ouistreham in France. Such bridges were built all over the world in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, van Driel says.

These original tail bridges were composed around the idea of having a fixed center point with rolling units on either side. Van Driel Mechatronica BV created the William Pont Bridge in Zaanstad using more simple measures. Pylons under the center point replaced the left and right rolling elements of the bridge. This small bridge could rest on only one pylon, which is advantageous because it consumes less materials and energy. The Leeuwarden Town Council decided to base the Slauerhoffbrug off these principles.

The Slauerhoffbrug is built in an L-shape, bending the bearing bars that lead to the deck, with the foundation built beside the bridge. The principal beams and cross girders are absent. This allows a low construction height that increases the lifting height. And in true Dutch fashion, this tail bridge isn't just an engineering feat, but a work of art. It is painted in yellow and blue, representative of Leewaurden's flag and seal. The asymmetrical shape can be seen for miles when the deck is completely raised and locked upright in midair. —Lindsey Pinkerton