Message posted by truckertom on January 04, 2006 at 16:05:11 PST:
Please cite this inadvertent disclosure and most importantly WHO. I'd like to see these "press" reports of U2 pilots complaining. Thats a low-key group w/ high-level clearances. If they had the slightest scent of something Black, they would either already have been briefed about airspace deconfliction, or just kept quiet. I don't buy it. Typical press though. They'll glom onto anything sensational and report it as fact. Now this BLACKSTAR hideout, you must be referring to Al Udeid AB in Qatar just outside Doha. (and its NOT Quatar). That would be the last place to hide a black aircraft in the theatre !! Hell, I wouldn't risk hiding a scrap of anything sensitive even close to that distrusted region. Some will probably argue, "USAF needs to test their black aircraft in real combat ". Bolongy ! Yeah, lets see how easily our son of Darkstar can evade the robust Afghan air defense system ! Oh yeah, I like how fashionable this moniker "Son of __" has become. First we had Son of Star Wars and now this ! How did this get started lol ? Back to Al Udeid and this fantasy idea of a black aircraft there. NO way. There are some interesting polygonal looking hangars there (FAS.org) that may lead you to believe something secret is there, but in reality they housed the F-117s (kept them out of the sand and elements), AGE and spare engines for other type aircraft. Furthermore, this place was bustling with several coalition countries and a good many third country nationals serving slop in the chow tents, and giving GI's haircuts. Incidently, CNN or MSNBC broadcasted live from their flightline the first few nights of OIF. At the time it was only 'an undisclosed coalition airbase'. Not exactly the controlled environment one needs to keep secret a black A/C.
In Reply to: Aurora Redux posted by Steve Douglass on January 04, 2006 at 7:20:33 PST:
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