On the evening of November 29, residents of the southern regions of Great Britain and the east coast of the United States heard strange sounds. People heard a series of loud noises similar to gunfire or explosions. Soon, a recording of this noise was published on the Internet, made by a resident of London using a mobile phone. The exact reasons for the appearance of the noise are still unknown, which is why a variety of versions appear.
In various publications of the foreign press and numerous discussions, a variety of assumptions have been made about the nature of the strange noises. The series of sounds could be caused by the destruction of meteors or other natural phenomena. However, such versions cannot explain the fact that the noises were heard over a fairly large area, both in Britain and the United States. In addition, the British heard the noise for a long time: about half an hour. All this is the reason for the emergence of more and more unusual and interesting versions.
Perhaps the most original assumption about the nature of mysterious sounds is associated with promising projects of military equipment. It is assumed that the inhabitants of the two countries heard the sounds produced by the pulsating air-jet engine (PUVRD) of a certain aircraft. Indeed, during operation, such engines produce a very loud noise, consisting of many separate explosions. Therefore, the version about the work of the PuVRD quickly gained a certain distribution. In addition, in the context of the work of a certain mysterious engine, the interested public remembered the American secret project Aurora, which has been exciting the minds of aviation enthusiasts for two decades.
Since the beginning of the nineties, rumors circulated in the United States and other countries about the development of a promising reconnaissance or strike aircraft, codenamed Aurora ("Aurora"). According to the press and some experts, the project was so secret that only its name and some of its main features became public. At the same time, no official information about the project was published. Due to the lack of accurate information, interest in the Aurora project gradually declined. Thanks to recent events, the hypothetical plane was remembered again.
The first mentions of the Aurora project appeared in the spring of 1990. Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that in 1985 the Pentagon had allocated about $ 145 million for the secret production of aircraft. It was noted that the equipment built with this money will be secret and will not be included in the official lists of the air force and other structures that have their own aviation. Part of the allocated 145 million was planned to be spent on the Aurora project. According to the magazine, already in 1987, $ 2.3 billion was allocated for the Aurora project. Other details of financing and design work were not disclosed.
The lack of any information other than the name and the estimated amount of funding led to the emergence of numerous assumptions and versions. The most widespread version was the development of a promising reconnaissance aircraft. For several decades, the US Air Force was armed with a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft, capable of flying at speeds up to M = 3, 2. The goal of the Aurora project could be to create a new aircraft of a similar purpose with even higher flight characteristics. Soon, various options for the appearance of a promising aircraft and its possible characteristics appeared.
For obvious reasons, all these versions have not been officially confirmed or refuted. The Pentagon and aircraft manufacturers simply deny the existence of the Aurora project. In the mid-1990s, former Lockheed and Skunk Works chief Ben Rich clarified the situation. According to him, the designation Aurora hid some developments in the field of promising stealth aircraft. Some of the developments on this project were subsequently used to create new aviation equipment, including the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber. The Aurora scout, in turn, never existed.
However, not everyone was satisfied with the statements of the former head of the aircraft building organization. Until now, from time to time, various publications appear, according to which the Aurora was actually developed and even tested. Recent reports from the UK and the USA have become another reason for such disputes and speculations.
Back in the early nineties, several versions of the alleged technical appearance of the Aurora appeared, which, despite their ambiguous nature, are still worth attention. According to one of the options, a promising reconnaissance aircraft had to develop a speed of at least M = 5, which accordingly affected its design. The aircraft, sometimes referred to as the SR-91, could have a delta wing with a sweep of about 75-80 °. The aircraft could have a total length of up to 34-35 m and a wingspan of the order of 18-20 m. The empty and take-off weights of the Aurora could roughly coincide with the corresponding characteristics of the SR-71 or differ significantly from them.
To achieve a high flight speed, the aircraft required an appropriate propulsion system. It was assumed that the "Aurora" can get a combined engine with a turbojet and ramjet circuits. A number of popular schemes depicted an engine with a common air intake and a single nozzle for both circuits. At the same time, depending on the operating mode, these units had to interact with a turbojet or ramjet engine. The first was intended for flight at relatively low speeds, the second for hypersonic flight.
According to various versions, the Aurora could reach speeds 10-15 times the speed of sound. The ceiling could exceed 35-36 km. The range was supposed to be at the level of several thousand miles with the possibility of increasing due to refueling in flight.
The new reconnaissance aircraft could receive a range of modern reconnaissance equipment. The intelligence complex could include optical surveillance equipment, a radar station and other equipment, including the means of transmitting the collected information. The possibility of creating a strike version of the aircraft was not ruled out. In this case, the SR-91 could carry air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles. The aircraft crew could consist of two people.
It is noteworthy that all versions of the possible appearance of the Aurora aircraft imply the use of a ramjet engine in combination with a turbojet. However, in discussions of a recent incident with unidentified noises, a pulsating jet engine is mentioned. This mismatch makes recent discussions of the Aurora project interesting.
There are various descriptions and drawings of the hypothetical plane "Aurora", but they are all fantasies of their authors, based on fragmentary information. All confirmed data are limited only by B. Rich's statements about work on the topic of inconspicuous aircraft technology.
It should be noted that it is known that at the end of the eighties, Lockheed and Boeing were conducting research into the creation of promising hypersonic aircraft, including reconnaissance aircraft, capable of replacing the existing SR-71. Nevertheless, the ratio of design characteristics, high cost of construction and complexity of operation put an end to these ideas. In the future, it was decided not to replace the SR-71 with similar equipment and to conduct reconnaissance using satellites or unmanned aerial vehicles.
Over the past years, the United States has been developing experimental projects for hypersonic aircraft. So, the Falcon and AHW projects have already reached the stage of flight tests. From time to time, new test launches, both successful and unsuccessful, are reported. At the same time, there are regular statements from people who allegedly witnessed the tests of some mysterious and secret supersonic and hypersonic aircraft. In the context of such evidence, the Aurora project is also regularly mentioned.
At the end of November, the British and Americans heard strange sounds, similar to gunfire or a series of explosions. The nature of this noise has not yet been established. It is quite possible that the reasons for this unusual phenomenon will never be established, which to a certain extent will contribute to the emergence and spread of various versions, including those associated with some secret projects. In the discussion of the sounds, they already remembered the hypothetical project Aurora and other promising developments in the field of hypersonic technology. If the reasons for the appearance of a series of sounds are not clearly established, then a wide variety of new versions should be expected.
