Testing at Area 51?

Is the Air Force’s New Bomber Testing at Area 51?

New facilities, unusual aircraft sightings point to activity at the mysterious site. But why?

GETTYDIGITALGLOBE

By Kyle Mizokami

A rash of unusual activity, coupled with new construction at the world-famous testing ground of Area 51, has aviation enthusiasts wondering if the base is gearing up to help with the development of a new bomber. Some evidence seems to point to the secret site’s involvement in the Air Force’s B-21 Raider program, designed to create a new stealth bomber to penetrate advanced enemy defenses.

Currently under development for the U.S. Air Force, the B-21 Raider is America’s first new heavy bomber in thirty years. Official Air Force depictions show a bat-like airplane similar to the existing B-1 Spirit stealth bomber. The B-21 will be equipped with the latest in stealth technology and is supposed to come in at $550 million apiece. The Air Force wants at least 100 of the bombers to replace the B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers.

The Aviationist blog post about this neatly rounds up recent goings-on in and around Area 51. The post recounts some unusual activity recounted by eyewitnesses in Nevada, including bearded, military-age men boarding buses to nowhere, F-117A Nighthawk sightings, and F-16 fighters equipped with AN/AAS-42 infrared search and track sensor pods following the retired stealth fighters in the area.

 
B-21 Raider.
U.S. AIR FORCE

At the same time, satellite imagery of Area 51 reveals a new U-shaped taxiway, roadway, and very large hangar. The hangar, about 250 by 275 feet, is considerably larger than what’s necessary for the current B-2 Spirit bomber. The post’s conclusion? All of this activity is probably the result of Air Force and Northrop Grumman work on the B-21 Raider.

The sightings of the F-117s and F-16s are particularly intriguing. The radar-defeating aspect of stealth is well known, but making an aircraft difficult to spot with infrared sensors—particularly infrared search and track (IRST) systems mounted on modern fighters and infrared seekers on air-to-air missiles—is another means of making an aircraft stealthy. The Nighthawks could be testing some kind of new infrared suppression system designed to combat heat buildup on the aircraft airframe and the jet engine exhaust, with the F-16 monitoring the Nighthawk’s infrared signature during test flights. But even that’s a guess. We’ll know in the 2020s when the B-21 Raider is slated to become operational.