January 1, 1985🇺🇸Program

Aurora Project Revealed in FY1987 Defense Budget: $455 Million

The first hint of a mysterious new aircraft appears in a U.S. Defense budgetary request for Fiscal Year 1987. Within a section entitled 'Strategic Reconnaissance' is a reference to a project known as 'Aurora.' Some $455 million is requested for the program, for production rather than research. In all likelihood, the Aurora aircraft is believed to be a high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance platform that succeeds the SR-71 Blackbird. Meanwhile, sonic booms are reported from near Los Angeles going out to Groom Lake, Nevada, from the Antelope Valley area home to Lockheed, Northrop, and McDonnell-Douglas.

Date
January 1, 1985
Location
Washington, D.C., USA
Type
Program
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Map

Background

EVENT TITLE: Aurora Project Revealed in FY1987 Defense Budget: $455 Million
EVENT DATE: 1985-01-01
EVENT TYPE: program

1. The first indication of a potential new advanced aircraft program surfaced in the U.S. Defense budget request for Fiscal Year 1987. A section dedicated to 'Strategic Reconnaissance' included a reference to a project named 'Aurora.' The request allocated $455 million to the program, earmarked for production rather than research.

The Incident The U.S. Defense budgetary request for Fiscal Year 1987 contained an entry for a project called 'Aurora' within the 'Strategic Reconnaissance' section. The requested funding amounted to $455 million. The funds were intended for production purposes, suggesting the program was beyond the research and development phase.

Investigation The provided text does not contain information about any official investigation into the Aurora project itself. The text does mention investigations into other unrelated incidents, such as an unexplained boom over Nova Scotia and a flash on Bell Island. These investigations involved attempts to correlate the events with the Concorde supersonic aircraft and the arrival of representatives from a weapons laboratory at Los Alamos to investigate the Bell Island flash. However, these investigations are not directly related to the Aurora project.

Significance The appearance of the 'Aurora' project in the defense budget, with a substantial allocation for production, suggests the existence of a highly classified and advanced aircraft program. This is significant within the broader UFO context because such a program could potentially explain some sightings of unusual aerial phenomena. The lack of transparency surrounding the project fuels speculation and connects it to theories involving advanced military technology and potential misidentification of experimental aircraft as UFOs.

Connections