Mystery aircraft sighting in Smokey Mountains (near Dobbins AFB, Georgia)

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???

I saw a topic from ATS :

Unidentified Plane - Can anyone Identify???

A friend of mine and I were out in the Smokey Mountains and we heard this jet. We knew we were in the supersonic corridor established for the Raptors being tested out of Dobbins AFB in Georgia, and we both know what a Raptor and an F-16 (the typical chase plane of the Raptors) look like from ground as they fly over.

This aircraft was neither, it was black, it was fast and it was VERY LOUD!!! I really want to know what thing was. We saw it coming over a mountain top and it was headed directly towards us, then my friend hit the button of the carmera right before it went behind some trees and it was good timing because we got this shot.

Sorry it's so blurred, it's the best we could do with what we had and how fast the thing was going.

Thanks to anyone who can offer an idea as to what it was.\

Photo from :

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread509236/pg1
 

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IF (and I emphasize the "IF") this is a real aircraft, it could be the rumored Northrop TR-3A Manta, whose description pretty much corresponds to this.

This being said, this topic will most certainly be locked by a moderator or an admin because it is not this forum's policy to discuss current rumored projects, only past projects from the vaults or at least projects whose existence has been verified and documented.
 
Stargazer2006 said:
IF (and I emphasize the "IF") this is a real aircraft, it could be the rumored Northrop TR-3A Manta, whose description pretty much corresponds to this.

This being said, this topic will most certainly be locked by a moderator or an admin because it is not this forum's policy to discuss current rumored projects, only past projects from the vaults or at least projects whose existence has been verified and documented.
Click to expand...

Thanks , I found some pics of Black Manta , but it seems like B-2 ?
 
Looks a bit like this CSIRS depiction from 1983:
 

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Another similar shape can be found in a Lockheed proposal for what is believed to be the "Senior Citizen" program (this has fins, but your photograph doesn't show if there are fins or not):
 

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The artwork on the page you refer to is preposterous in my opinion. Also the fact of mentioning Michael Schratt as a possible valuable reference source will get you into trouble on this forum!

I am one of the rare people around here that DO believe there must have been an actual YF-19A prototype (perhaps even a handful of prototypes) as part of the CSIRS program (and probably also a subscale THAP demonstrator) but one thing is for sure, they didn't look anywhere near like the artwork in that page!
 
Stargazer2006 said:
The artwork on the page you refer to is preposterous in my opinion. Also the fact of mentioning Michael Schratt as a possible valuable reference source will get you into trouble on this forum!

I am one of the rare people around here that DO believe there must have been an actual YF-19A prototype (perhaps even a handful of prototypes) as part of the CSIRS program (and probably also a subscale THAP demonstrator) but one thing is for sure, they didn't look anywhere near like the artwork in that page!
Click to expand...

Thanks , I just delet that .
 
"I saw a topic on ATS" 99% of the time it should probably stay there. The "picture" looks like your classic hoax shot anyway. ::)
 
sferrin said:
The "picture" looks like your classic hoax shot anyway. ::)
Click to expand...

Or maybe the lucky witness just owns that special digital camera that takes sharp pictures except in the middle... ;)
 
Actually something similar happened to me for a whole week last month. All my pictures were blurry in the middle... it was just the lens that was filthy! This goes to show that it CAN happen to take pics that are sharp on the sides and blurry in the center... ;)
 
If you will excuse the pun "snap", been there, done that, and got the t-shirt on more than one occasion. ;D

Cheers Bailey
 
Stargazer2006 said:
IF (and I emphasize the "IF") this is a real aircraft.........
Click to expand...

That "IF" isn't just big, it's written in 30 meter high fluorescent, flashing, scarlet letters on top of a hill, with fireworks going off around it and a marching band playing the 1812 Overture ;)

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
 
That "IF" isn't just big, it's written in 30 meter high fluorescent, flashing, scarlet letters on top of a hill, with fireworks going off around it and a marching band playing the 1812 Overture
Click to expand...

And I always thought that studied understatement was a typically British trait ! :D
 
Lauge said:
That "IF" isn't just big, it's written in 30 meter high fluorescent, flashing, scarlet letters on top of a hill, with fireworks going off around it and a marching band playing the 1812 Overture ;)
Click to expand...

That's a mighty big "if."

if.gif
 
Bailey said:
.....a typically British trait ! :D
Click to expand...

Danish, if you please, my good sir, Danish! (Although presently residing in Luxembourg) ;)

Regards & all,

Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
 

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