While reading a fascinating article by Jon Lake relevant to the
Blackstar program, I was impressed with his statement that "it seems
certain that the Blackstar-carrying C-5 variant and the C-5C were one
and the same and that AVIATION WEEK confused the two, not discerning
which of the modifications described had actually been incorporated and
which (cheek fairings, extra landing gear unit) were invented".
He brilliantly analyzes that "perhaps it was an easy mistake to make,
since the C-5Cs have sometimes been thought to operate in support of
various Black programs, in addition to their NASA and USAF tasking".
Lake then says that "Two aircraft (68-0123) and 68-0126) were modified
to C-5C SCM standards after being damaged in service and that they were
assigned to the 433rd Airlift Wing, and later to the 60th AW at Travis
AFB".

What is truly exciting in regards to the programs such as at Area 51,
for example, is that Jon Lake comes out and states that "it has always
been assumed that any so far unrevealed "Black aircraft" would be a
cover reconnaissance platform or strike/attack type, like previous
Black aircraft whose role relied on a degree of "plausible deniability"
and where secrecy would be useful in giving the U.S. a capability that
ites enemies would not know it had".

He then goes into the "apparently important gaps in the USAF's order of
battle (for instance following the retirement of the RF-4C and F-111)
(the writer is British) as evidence that "white world" aircraft might
have been replaced by aircraft developed in the Black World".
He says that "while a stealthy tactical reconnaissance aircraft might
seem eminently sensible, the USAF rebuffed Lockheed's proposals to
build an additional 24 F-117s, and to purchase equipment that would
enable these to perform reconnaissance missions, with a palletised
ATARS camer system in one weapons bay, and a synthetic aperture radar
(SAR) in the other".
This is brilliant!

Yes, I would say that Area 51 is definitely very much alive and well,
as Lake goes on to say that the Senior Trend and Tacit Blue battlefield
surveillance aircraft both used "YF-for-experimental fighter"
designation suffixes and it's possible that there may have been a
fighter program kept under Black World wraps, either for some highly
specialized and deniable role, or to allow the U.S. to "leap a
generation" and field new fighter capabilities while preventing any
potential enemy from developing a counter to the new aircraft".

He wraps up this portion by saying that there are also prototypes and
demonstrators that may have flown without being publicly revealed, like
Northrop's failed XST contender or even Lockheed's Senior Peg (the
company's unsuccessful B-2 competitor).

I highly recommend anyone who is interested in Area 51 to get this
article by Jon Lake in the June issue of AIRCRAFT ILLUSTRATED.

Yes, truly these are exciting times for Area 51.

-----Norio Hayakawa