Aurora: The Pentagon's Secret Hypersonic Spyplane (Mil-Tech Series) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Why did the Pentagon retire the SR-71 spyplane in 1990? What has caused sonic booms over the California desert since 1991? What was the triangular craft spotted over the North Sea in 1989? In this groundbreaking book, journalist Bill Sweetman argues these mysteries can be traced to a U.S. spyplane called AURORA, the existence of which--denied by officials--lies buried in a secret military budget.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks Intl (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879387807
• ISBN-13: 978-0879387808
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,065,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When was the last time the government lied to you?, April 21, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Denville, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This book makes a decent case about the existence of a hypersonic spyplane developed under the black budget. It describes the history of hypersonic flight from the X-15 to present and demonstrates how these programs are froth with budget cuts and lost interest. A large part of the book is also contributed to IF the Aurora were built, how would it operate? This book gives details about ramjets and other hypersonic engines. The only problem I had with it was that I sometimes had to read paragraphs twice before they were absorbed completly. You do not have to be a conspiracy theorist, or a military fanatic to get into this book. You just have to have to be curious about what kind of technology we have out there.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sensible look at military secrecy, September 20, 2001

By	Mark "arch-nerd" (Daytona Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

Most people who speak about military secrecy are kooks who believe that the government is in cahoots with "the Visitors." But Bill Sweetman isn't one of them. His "Aurora: The Pentagon's Secret Hypersonic Spyplane" examines the best available evidence and draws a logical conclusion: the military has at least one high-speed aircraft.

Sweetman overviews operations at Groom Lake from the U-2 to the A-12 to the Have Blue and F-117. He also looks back at most major hypersonic research programs that were carried out over the years. From there he talks about air-breathing rockets and arrives at the general shape of the aircraft known as Aurora.

My complaints? The book was such good reading that I was disappointed when it ended. It was too short (but the government has done a good job keeping the program secret, so we're lucky that Sweetman was able to write a book at all.) And I felt that Sweetman was holding some information back. He mentions that someone got a head-on view of Aurora at Groom and said that the intake 'resembled an evil smiley face.' I want to know more about this informant and if they had any more information.

Aviation fans, go out and read this book now. Just watch out for the black helicopters:-)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It gets you to thinking......, March 29, 1999

By A Customer

Hey, this is a "fun" book! Sure, Sweetman doesn't have a lot of hard evidence, but he pieces it together well. You will note that in Ben Rich's book on the Skunk Works, he dismisses an Aurora-type project and changes the subject very quickly. Rich states that the materials and technology to build a Mach 6 air-breathing plane simply don't exist. I find it hard to believe that the quest for speed ended with the SR-71. I also experienced some unusally tooth-rattling sonic booms in the California desert in the early '90s. All of which leads me to believe that Sweetman may be on to something here.