Area 51 Batplane

Third Opinion · 1 Feb 2013 at 20:59

Just found this.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/181882-area-51-batplane-caught-on-video

So cool. Do you think it's a drone type thing if it is real?

Malevolence · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:03

Whatever it is, it looks evil. I want one.

Curio · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:09

In the video it looks very much like a smallish RC plane to me.

Skillmister · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:12

It's 2013. Most people have HD video recording on their mobile phones. He is a person dedicated to filming. So why is half of his footage still such awful quality?

Vulcan · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:28

Whether it's a real experimental plane or CGI/RC, it started it's life out as an F/A-18:

Dave85 · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:30

dark object on light colored sky without a tripod and shaky hands is never going to be epic is it.

ajf · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:54

Longbow said:
Whether it's a real experimental plane or CGI/RC, it started it's life out as an F/A-18:

My first thought too!
I would love to believe in this and whilst trying to keep an open mind, if this IS real, what exactly is its benefit? Other than its odd looks, it doesn't appear to advance stealth design or engine tech on first look. From the brief sound, it also sounds fairly standard jet noise.

trigger-happy · 1 Feb 2013 at 21:59

Probably has something to do with this. They are installing 150kw lasers on jets.

http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/01/150-kilowatt-lasers-will-be-installed.html

Curio · 1 Feb 2013 at 22:01

I suppose it could just be for testing radar returns on various shapes. That's what they spend a lot of time doing at Groom Lake anyway. Still looks small to me though when you see it in the vid.

Horse Pop · 1 Feb 2013 at 22:11

They do test all sorts of weird wing profiles.

http://www.small-wonder.org/Gallery_1990/Hasegawa_X-29/zX-29-2.jpg

OFC it could also just be CGI.

edit
Or that \/\/\/\/

From the way that thing moves it appears to be S/VTOL. Unsure why you'd bother doing that on that plane.

Fire_fly · 1 Feb 2013 at 22:12

It looks almost like someone has bought an Airfix F-18, half built it, and then stuck some extra bits on it.

ethan · 1 Feb 2013 at 22:18

Looks like a flying flick knife.

anjs · 1 Feb 2013 at 23:15

Looks a lot like AIM-9 Sparrows on the wing tips as well. Not exactly a modern missile these days.

dowie · 1 Feb 2013 at 23:23

The guy living in that cabin needs to sort his life out tbh...

That's fine if he wants to be a plane spotter... but he's doing his country no favours by sharing this stuff on the net. They've located that place in the middle of no-where for good reasons... it doesn't need some yokel in a cabin potentially trying to compromise things by filming the latest experimental aircraft being tested out there etc...

dbmzk1 · 1 Feb 2013 at 23:37

anjs said:
Looks a lot like AIM-9 Sparrows on the wing tips as well. Not exactly a modern missile these days.

There's no such thing as an AIM-9 Sparrow.

There's an AIM-7 Sparrow and an AIM-9 Sidewinder though...

Malevolence · 1 Feb 2013 at 23:53

anjs said:
Looks a lot like AIM-9 Sparrows on the wing tips as well. Not exactly a modern missile these days.

The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a very modern missile actually, in fact Raytheon are currently in the process of developing the Block 3 variant of the Sidewinder. It's been constantly upgraded and improved over the years, so just because it was originally developed back in the '50s doesn't mean it's old and outdated.

ianh · 1 Feb 2013 at 23:53

My guess is that it's an R/C model made from F-18A parts with 4x AIM-9L/M and 2x AIM-7M/P on the wingtips. Whoever did it has chopped off the wingtips and then taken the wings from a F-4 Phantom and glued them at a 45' angle to the remaining wing. Then they've taken the tailplanes (or parts of) and glued them onto the front fuselage at a 45' angle.

A shot showing the new wingtips added at a 45' angle and the tail planes glued on top at a 45' angle too.

bitslice · 2 Feb 2013 at 00:01

Structurally I can't see that design surviving any degree of flight stress, I'm with the other posters, it's an airfix kit.

Also, to point out the obvious, attaching missiles onto wingtips is stupid, modern designs have them inboard to minimise radar reflection. Looks more like Flash Gordon's rocketship.