[MilCom] Black Projects Aircraft Radio Communications Theories? RE: X

[Steve Douglass]

During the early years of the development of the F-117, the pilots 
were instructed to use standard military call signs of other (non 
classified) types.

While on test training hops (outside the Nellis and Tonopah airspace) 
when queried by ATC to what type of aircraft they were, standard 
reply was an "A-7 Corsair"

  In fact many A-7s accompanied F-117s (as chase planes and trainers) 
until their were enough F-117s available to equip an entire squadron.

Most "slips" hinting that classified type is flying occur on informal 
air-to-air chat channels (both military and civil) usually from 
civilian pilots having seen something he can't identify (and not able 
to resist the urge to tell someone) or the military pilots themselves 
chatting on frequencies such as "WINCHESTER" 303.000 MHz or MAGNUM, 
357.000 MHz.


Although intercepts of this sort can be revealing, the pilots are 
careful to keep from spilling all the beans by blabbing official 
aircraft designations, such as "I'm flying an Aurora, ain't it cool?"

But from time to time (rarely) one might hear an exchange like the 
one I intercepted in 1993 while in the Holloman, Air Force Base area:

CHUPA 11 : "You've seen one of these before, Steve?"

RYDER 13: "I don't think anyone has."

Another very telling intercept happened in the early 90s, again near 
Holloman, AFB.  This is an excerpt from a bigger story on monitoring 
black aircraft projects that originally appeared on my (now defunct) 
Project Black web site.

--SNIP___

>During the middle of one night, a lone aircraft took off from a 
>remote strip located on the White Sands Missile Range. The aircraft 
>radioed Cherokee Control, (the mission controller at WSMR) that he 
>would be doing some work on the range and then landing at Holloman. 
>He also wanted to arrange for security to be on hand when he landed 
>to get the aircraft into a hangar as soon as possible

Just before 
>the aircraft landed, the security frequencies at Holloman came quite 
>active. All units were advised that the "STF" would be landing soon 
>and that all stations should report in. They also arranged for 
>flight line personnel to guide the aircraft into a secured hangar 
>when it landed and that all security lighting would be extinguished 
>two minutes prior to the STF's approach.

After the STF was secured in a hangar, the maintenance channels 
became active. It seemed that the STF needed to have its "heat 
shield" repaired and the entire aircraft needed to be cleaned before 
"tomorrows viewing". 

The next morning it became apparent from security and maintenance 
communications that the aircraft was being readied for some sort of 
presentation. "VIPs" were mentioned as were the base photographer and 
other officers who were to be on hand for he viewing. 

Shortly 
before the VIPs arrived , the base was closed to all traffic both 
coming and going. Soon it was easy to tell from the communications 
surrounding the VIPs who they were. It was none other than the (then) 
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell.

  He had flown up from El Paso, Texas where he had spent some time 
reviewing the troops at Fort Bliss.

Before he went back to Washington, he made a quick side trip to 
Holloman AFB (only eighty miles away and minutes by air) to view the 
STF in some sort of private ceremony. While he was there he was also 
treated to a flyby by three F-117s.

The visit was over in a few minutes and the general was on his way. 
Soon the base was reopened to normal traffic. 

Again, later that 
night, security communications surrounding the departure of the STF 
were monitored. The base was blacked out until the aircraft departed 
and returned to its remote base on the White Sands Missile Range.  <

--snip_--

So there's always someone who doesn't get the memo to keep their trap 
shut, but then again ...

It is very possible that these slips of the tongue are intentional, 
either to trick an enemy into thinking a silver bullet program exists 
when it doesn't, forcing them to spend millions of dollars in trying 
to build a system to counter it.

Therefore, even though I have monitored communications of these types 
on several occasions, I always report them as being suspect in 
nature, unless it is accompanied by a sighting or photograph from a 
reliable source.

_Steve Douglass




-- 
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