F
SR-7 I nstructions
5 Penetrator
HISTORY
While most aircraft watchers are looking for the
Aurora to be a singular fantastic advanced
aircraft, there is good reason to believe it is
actually a 2 plane system. Secondly, Aurorais
not the proper codeword even though that word is
commonly and widely used to designate the
hypersonic system. The correct codeurordfor the
system remainsclassified.
As best as can be determined at this point in time
there is a "mother' aircraft that we have termed
SR-75 and a craft - that is capable of hypersonic
speed - which is launched from the back of the
SR-75. This craft we ha\p designated XR-7.
You have the SR-75 model. You can also build
he fantasticXR-7, Testor kit No. 567, in matching
1172sale to mount atop the SR-75. This makes
a most imoressivecombination.
The SR-75 spans 97 feet 6 inches and is 160 fe€t
10 inches long. Power is four huge turbojetswith
afterburners. lt has a 3 man crew: pilot; recon-
naissance systems op€rator and a reanivard
sitting faunch control officer to monitor the uariety
of loads which can be launched from the back of
fre SR-75. The SR-75 is capable of lvlach3.5
and can fly reconnaissance missions as well as
i
t being a 1u*n*91 gi;r:r'+lt.lt is likely he airplanehas
r
b
tha abilify 13 r:,i:-,1.,;'ri'"'
se*se niJclearmaterials,
and their lii::::g. '";:::*ghighiy sensitiw gamma
deifet,}rs.:|".il r:ihq. si.3vicss.This, in today's
wcrli, is ii !.ei':",iinportantmission not only
be*efitir:g the United Stat€s but also other.nations
ccncsrnsd with protiferationof nudear wea2ons.
The airplane has been seen in ffight throughout
the LJnitodStatss - both night and day - and
appears to be operational. lt is said to have been
built by the Lockheed Cg5grration's Skunk Works
division. First flights we6-lrom the remote test
facility at Groom Lake, Nerada.
The Testor nnodelsof bo$ the SR-75 and lhp
XR-7 are based upon the best information opBnly
available at tris time. A number of technological
guessos aro incorporated in the model designs
since the actual airplanes are still very secret.
REFERENCES
Foradditionalinformationon hypersonicaircraft
seehe followingbook: Aurora - The Penta-
gon's S*ret Hypaconic Spyplanc; llll-Tech
Sariee;BillSweebnan ; llotorbookslnbmational, on the pagesthat follow.
Osceola,Wisconsin54020USA.
BEFORESTARTING
1. Studytre illussationsand sequenceof as-
semblybeforebeginning.
2. Decidehow muchdetailyou wishto add to
' yourmodeland whetheror not yotl intendto
modifyor'convert'thebasicmodelin any
way. Studycarefullyall availablerelerence
materialbeforebeginningto ensurean au-
thenticmodel.
3. Dueto he amountof partsin this kit, do not
detachhe partsfromthe runnerof the parts
tree untilyou needtrem. This helpsavoid
confusionand lost parts.
4. Wien csmentingthe partstogether,checkthe
way one partfitstogefterwith another.This
assuresa neatlob wih no surprises.
5. Always-remember whenworkingwith plastic
modelcementand paintto keepyourwork
areawell ventilated,The tumeskom plastic
modelingproductscan be harmfulif inhaled.
OF PARTS
PREPARATION
1. Newr tear partsoff the runner(partsfoe).
Usea TestorHobbyKnife;fingomail.clippers, followingthe directionscliaely. Remember
or a smallwire cuttersto rernoveth€ parts
from the tree.
2. lt is possiblesomepartsmay requirea little
attentionwith a file or sandpaperto ensdlea
propeqfit and neatapp€arance.Hobbyftles
and TestorHobbySandpaperappropriatefor
.modelbuildingare availablein mostgood
hobbyshops.
No.568
PAINTING
You can obtainan excellentfinishon yourmodel
usingTesbr productsand paints. Deailed
descriptions of painttypesand colorare induded
Goodbrushesare essenlialfor properdetailing.
Testorbrushesare recommended, includedin this
kit,and are availableat goodhobbystores. Be
sureyou haw he entireselectionfor all your
modelingneeds.Alwaysdean themin Testor
thinner,washin soapandwater,and stor€with
brisdesupwardwhennot in use.
Washplasticpartsbeforedeachingthemfrom
tre parts bee. Warmwater ard liquid clshwash-
ing detergentwill remow he oils leftfromthe
manufacturing process.Let he partsdry and
aroid excessivehanding. lmmediablybefore
painting,wipethe partswifr a'trac rag' (avaibble
at autopartsstores)to removedust ard lint.
Mostsmallpartsare bestpaintedwhilestillat-
tachedto the partstee. You can also detach
hem and holdwith tweezersor'magic'tape
whilepainting.Paintin one c$rection only. lf your
paintis the conecthicknesshush stokes will
disappearas fre colordries. lf the paintseems
too thick,thinwitr T€sbr PaintThinner. Wheels
may be detachedfrom the parb tee and fit onto
toothpbksor matchsticks for painting.Just hoH
he paintbrushagainstthe edgeof the wheeland
rotratethe stickandwheelto obtaina neatfinish.
L€t the paintdy completelybeforehandling.
Whdnhe partsare dry, q$€emblethe model,
cementwill noJhold srongly to paint€dsurfacss.
UseyourTcstorHobbyKnifeto caretullyremove
from.allsurfacasto be cem€ntsd.Afteryou
"paintgsse"mbled
have he modelyou can touchup
areaCu&E*oeaient mighthave manedthe finish.
.;
2

Tweezers willbe usefulin assembling

the The Testor Model Master paint system is
manysmallpartsin thiskit. Thetypeused speciallydesignedto be usedon military
by postagestampcollectorsis recom- models.The PreliminaryPaintinginstruc-
mended. tions on this sheet indicatewhich Model
Mastercrlors to use as indicatedby name
Liquidcement,Testor#3502,is recom- and FederalStandard(FS) number. These
mendedfor constructionsinceit can produce colors are called out by bold italic type .
the neatest,quickest,andstrongest glue
joints.Applysmallamountsof cement, Wherever liodel lhster colors are not
applicablelhe requiredTestorcolor will be
usingthe tip ol a Testorfubdel
calledout by numberand name in regular
brush,to the surfacesto be loined while
',/€,sterNo.2 bold type.
holdingths pans in place. D,onot use large
amountsof cement.

Note: Clearpartsare bestgluedin place

withwhiteglue. Whitegluewillnotmarthe
plasticandthus resultsin a betterap,pear-
ancethanconventional modelc€ment.

Use these drawingsas a guideto locatethe

parts in the kh. In the insiructionsheet
assemblystepsthe windscreen,for example,
will be calledas 40E while the upperforward
fuselagewill be named as 11C. Do not
removepartsf rom PartsTree D untilyou are
readyto use them in an assemblystep.

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 COLORKEY
A FS 17038GlossBhck
B FS 37038FIet Black
C FS 36375Llght Ghost Gray
D FS 17875lnslgnlaWhite
E FS3$STOllveIhab
F F530279Da*Tan
G FS 17178Chrome Sllver
H F533531Sp,nd
I No.1lGl Red
J No. 1124Green
K l,lo.1114Yellow

II
I HAIN INTERIORDETAILS
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Paintdelailsas shownbeforeassembly.
Followlettercalloutsand CokcrKay.
Assambly
1. CementMainLandingGearBox,2D,
intoplacs. Followwithlhe Outboard
GearBoxes,23D.Nowcementthe Left
IntakeRamp,4D,andthe RightRamP,
3D, intoplaceas shown.
2. Cementthe NozzleSplitters,6C, into
t
I the NozzleBoxes,7C, andthencement
the Boxesintothe LowerAft Fuselage, *
1A. Nowcementthe EngineAft Pipe
Bulkheads,22D,lo the Aft Fuselageas
shown.
3. Givethis assemblyplentyof timeto dry
beforeproceeding to Step2. The Main
LandingGearBoxneedsthe mosttime
to dry sinceit will be supportingthe
weightof the entiremodelonceyour
modelis completed-
 AFT FUSELAGEUNIT
Note:Decideif youwillbuildingyourSR-75
to havethe XR-7mountsdon its backas
shownon page10. lf so you mustboroout
the two holesin the top of the UpperRear
Fuselage, SB.
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Thereis no Preliminary paintingrequired.
Assembly
1. Carefullyc€msnlthe UpperandLower
RearFuselagehalves,SB and1A,
logsthsr.Afterthe partshavedriedfor
d shortlimecleartapecanbe usedto
hsldthemtogether.Be neat.

TechnlcalNote /1>.<\-->e
ThebulgeduFperareaof the SR-75is cargo
areaas wellas fuelstorage.hs usevaries
withthe missionrequirements. As wellas
,-Y<-,.-<9
carryingand launchingthe Mach7 recon-
naissanceaircraftthe TestorCorporation has
namedas XR-7 ThunderDart,TestorKit
No.567,the baycan also holdand launch
COLOHKEY satelliteboostingrocketsto plae nervsmall
A FS 17038Glogs Bbck sizedreconnaissance satellilesinioorbit.
B FS3m38 F/p,tBlack TheSR-75is versatileandthismakesit
C FS 36375Llght Ghost Gray valuableandcosteffectivein a timeof
D FS 17875lnslgnlaWhite downsieedmilitarybudgets.
E FSgiUnTOfive hab
F FSSO279 Da*Tan
G FS 17178Chronp Sllver
H F533531Spind
I ilo.1lfil Red
.t b.1124 Green
K 1{o.1114Yelbw

COCKF{TTUB
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Paintthe partsas shownbeforeassembly.
Usea littleimaginationin paintingthe 3
instrument panels.Theknobsshouldhavea
varietyof olors: red,yellow,green. Use
yourgoodjudgement.Paintthe 3 Seatsand
the GockpitTray,27D,as shown.
Assembly
1. Assemblethe Seatpartsas shownin
thefirstblockof the paintingpanels.
Cementthe Pilot'sControlStick,31D,
intoplace. Nerl cementthe 3 Seais
followedby the Panels,28D,29Dand
30D.
No.568

2N
UPPERNOSE
FORWARD
>\
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Painttheedgeof the ViewGlass,32E,as
shown.lf youwantto showyourmodelwith
the AerialRefuelingSocket,33D, in place -.1
thenpainlit as shown.
Assembly
1. lf buildingwiththe ARS,33D,in place
youmustcutthe ARSpaneloutof the
UpperNose,11C,
top of the Foruvard
whereshown.Leavethe panelin
*c*
placeif youarenotgoingto installthe
ARSin the reluelingposition.
2. Nowcarefully cementtheViewGlass,
32E,intoplace.Nextcementthe
CockpitTraylrom Step3 intoplaceas
shownon 11C.

FORWARDFUSELAGE
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Nonerequiredin thisstep.
Assembly
1. Cementthe NoseGearBox,12D,tothe
LowerFonrvard Fuselage,9C, where
shown. NextcEmentthe CrushSpacer,
C10b,to the LowerFonvardFuselage,
9C.
2. Nowcarefully csmentthe upper,11C,to
the bwer fuselage,9C, as shown. Be
sureto guidelhe upperendof C10binto
the properpl*e in the upperfuselage.
Allowthe partsto dry beforegoingto
Step6.

CENTERUNIT
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Nonerequiredin this Step.
Asscmbly
1. Carelullyand neatlycsmentthe lonrard
fuselageunitto the Aftunh. Set asideafter
checkingalignment andallowplentyoftime
to dry. Overnightis best.
 BASICAIRPLANE
PreliminaryPalntlng
Nonerequiredin thisStep.
Assembly
CementLeftLowerOuterWing,18C,to
LeftWinglet,17C. Dothe samefor
RightLowerWing,16C,andRight
Winglet,15C. Nowcementthetip units
to the wingsas shown.
2. CementPylonConnector FairingPlug,
21C,to thefuselagetakingcareto see
that it fitswellandsmoothlywhhtop.
3. Determine whelheryouwantto show
yourmodelin a conliguration withthe
forwardcanardliftingsurfacesin an
op€n or retractedposition. Normallythe Y-t/-a>-
canards are extended when the SR-75 Canardsurfacesfold back for high
"V,r-df- "-
is on the ground. lf extended,cement alrenurrvifr z speed flightand are used only for
the Left Canard, 13C, and the Right /-,- -/ !
13c
takeotfsandlandings.Theyprovide
Canard,14C, into place as shown. A - -f- morepitchcontrolauthorityin critical
lf buildingwithoutthe canardsextended,
---'/
ALTERNATTVE
a,* lowspeedflightflightregimes.
cemsnt t-heCanard Fairings,19D and
20D,intoplacewherethe Ganard
surfaceswouldhavegone.

COLORKEY
A FS 170fi GlossBlack TechnicalNote
B FS 37038FIat Black TheSR-75hasa crewof three- on" tnotd
C FS 36375Light Ghost Cray thanthe Lockheed SR-71.Thethird
D FS 17875lnslgnlaWhite crewmanis the LaunchControlOfficer(LOO).
E FSgtUTOlive Drab Facingrearward, the LCOcommunicates
F F530279DarkTan withthe pilotin the XR-7andcandetermine
C FS 17178Chrome Silver is okaypriorto the launchof the
if everything
H F933531 Sand XR-7fromthe backof the SR-75.TheLCO
I No.llc):l Red is very importanito the coordination
and
J No.1124Green safetyof launches.
K No.1114Yellow

COCKPITAREA
PrellmlnaryPalntlng
Paintthe partsas shownafterdetermining il ALTERNATIVE
you aregoirg to buildthe graylblacktest
aircraftor the all-blackoperationalSR-75.
Assembly
1 . Cementthe PanelFairings, 36D,34D
and35D,intoplaceas shown.ll You
arebuildingyourmodelwiththe Canopy
Hatches,39E, 38Eand37E,closed
thencarefullycementthemintoplaceas
shownin FigureA. Nowcementthe
Windscreen, rOE,intoplace.
2. lf buildingwiththe CanopyHatchesin
the openpositioncementthe Wind-
'[
h'i*,
scrsenintoplacefirst. Thencarelully
cemsntthe canopiesandActuator
Cylinders, 41Dand 42D(2),intoplaceas FigureA FlgureB
shownin FigureB. Workverycarefully
andneatlyandcheckpartsfor align-
mentwhilsthecementis drYing.
 No.568

I NosEGEAR
Prellmlnary Palntlng
Paintthe various landinggear parts and
doors as indicated. Be neat.
Assembly
1. Cementthe lnnerNoseWheel Halves,
45D, to the Outer Nose Wheel Halves,
I 44D. Now cementthese wheel and tire
unitsto the axles of the Nose Gear
Strut,43D. Next,cementthe strut into
place in the Nose Gear Box as shown.
2. Cut the Nose Gear Door Unit, 10C, as
shown. (lf you are buildingyour model
with the landinggear up and the model
is to be hung lrom a ceilingthen do not
buildthe landinggear and simply
cementthe Door Unit,10C, intothe
fuselage.)
3. Cementthe Door Hinge Links,tl6D (6 of
them) to the doors as shown. Now
ce;nentboth doors into place. Carefully
checklor alignmentand neatness.

5. Nowcenw6lhe lnboardMainWheel 7. Cementthe MainGearDoorStrutand

1 0 MA'NLANDTNG
GEAR Unitsto the Sogeyaxles. Aligncare- RetractLinkunitintothe maingearbox
fully. Set askleto dry. as shown.TheMainGearBoxglue
BuildlngReferenceNote:Thisis a very Nowcernentthe MainGearDoorsto the jointto the fuselagemust be absolutefy
criticalStep.Takeyourtimeandallowtime dooropenfulg in thef uselage.Lineup dryandsecure!!Nowcementthe
forthe cementto set. Allthe weightol your carefully. OutboardMainWheelUnitsto the
modelwill be restingon lhese partsso work BogeylnboardWheelUnitaxle$tubs.
carefully andslowly.Whenwe suggestthat Allowto dryovernight beforeplacingthe
youallowthecementto drywe meanit. Be weightof the modelon the maingear.
patient!lf youplanon buildingthe modd in
flightconfigurationthenyoucan nowcemenl
the MainGearDoors,54D,andthe Out-
boardGearDoors,5C, intoplaceandin the
closedpositions.
PreliminaryPainting
Forthe LandingGearDownconfiguration
paintthe detailpartsas shownin the lettered
calloutswhilereferencing the Color Key.
Assembly
1. Gementthe RetractLink,53D,to the
MainGearStrut,52D,as shown.Allow
10 minutesfor the cementto set a little.
Nowcementthe MainGearBogey,51D,
to thestrut. Carefully
checkalignment
andsetasideto dry.
CementtheOutboardStrutWheels,
56D,to the OutboardStruts,57D and
58D. Nowcemenlthe OutboardStrut
unitsinloplaceas shown. Nextcement
the OutboardStrutCoverDoors,5C,
intoplace.
3. Assemble 4 InboardMainWheelUnits
usingparts 47Dandtl8D. Next
assemble 4 OutboardMainWheelUnits
usingparts49Dand50D. Allowallthe
unitsto dry.
Cement4 MainGearDoorHingeLinks,
55D,to eachof the2 MainGearDoors,
54D. Checkalignment andallowto dry.
 SR-75type craft reported seen over
SouthernCallf,ornhln 1991.
Therearetwo waysto paintyourSR-75.
Shownhereis theflighttest schemeas Top Vlew
the planemayhaveappearedin early
daysat GroomLake. Youcan also
paintthe modelin allflatblackpaint
to depictan operationalSR-75.The Decalg Decal10
modelis moremenadngin all-black
andthe decalsin the kit workwith
l-
o eithercolorscheme.lt is alsoan Decal11 Decal 12
* easierpaintschemeto do.
!2
c Decal 6
o Decal22
4 places
6 places
6'
{ Decal 19 Decal 20
Decal13 Decal 14
Decal15 Decal 16

Ganardsurlacesfoldbacklor high Decal 18

speedflightand are usedonlylor 2 places
takeoffsand landings.Theyprovide
morepitchcontrolauthority in critical Decal23
low-speed-f
l(7ht f lightregimes. RefuelingguiJes

Decal8-"NOSTEP' D ecal2- G PSant enna

Located54 placeson
uppersurtacsas shown.
Paint all edges of SR-75,
Decal25 Decal 25 top and bottom,
FSgm38 Fret Bt*k
{D o
O
:(l Decal24- red stripes
o rI
(or Cutlo l€rpth as needed Paintpanel
g{ andcarefullyapply. FS 33613Radone Ten
d'
=s
'E
Basiccoloris
FS 364/r(,Gull Gny
Io The easiestwayto paintyourmodelis
ID to applythe propercolorsas shown.
o ThenspraywithTestorNo.1961,
f
g GlossClear. Whenthat is dry and
o glossyapplythe decals. Whenthe Paintupperpanels
CL
(ct decalsaredry spraywithTestorNo. FS 3fi13 SadomeTan
o 1960or 1260flatfinalfinishes.
ID
o
l Decal2T
6-

Decal 25
;E93 !tF
F{tr
d

PaintGunmetal
No.568

Bottom Vbw
APPLYINGDECALS
1. After carefully masking clear areas, spray
entire model with the Testor ,rodet Master
Paint panel
gloss paint color called out for the overall FS 33613 Radorte Tan
color as indicated on the instructionsheet.
Paint all edgesof SR-75,
Decals adhere best to a smooth and shiny
surface. The shinier the ftnish he smootrer it
top and bottom,
is. Allow the paint to dry before going furfrer. FS 37038 Fts't Btack
2. Select fp decals you plan to use and cut hem
from he decal sheet wih scissors or a Testor DecalT
Hobby Knife.
3. Working wifi only one decal at a time, cliphe Decal 6
decal in clear water for no more than fiw 4 places
seconds. Remove it from the water and place
on a dry paper towel for about one minub. D ecal5-S pl aees
4. When the decal slides easily on the backing
paper, slide it to he edge of, ard onto, the
surface of the model wifr a soft Testq lldel Decal 6
Itraster paint brush or lweezers. Remember
the decals are very hin and can be easily Decal4 - 8 places
ripped. Wo* slowly and carefully.
5. Once he decal is in the desired position apply
a small amount of Testor Decal Set #gBO4: D ecal l T-2pl aces
This willhelp the decal conform O any ineg-
ularities in ttre surface of tre model. Allow tre
decal to dry undisturbed. Should you desire to
purposely move it before it has dried, apdy a
little Decal Set to a soft brush ana pusfi ih6
decal slowly into the desircd position.
6. When the decals are compbtely dry
(usually or/ernight),apply a coat of Tesbr
ilodel necrer No. 19@ Lus*se Flat
or Testor No. 1260 Dulloot€b th€ cntire
model. This will girre it an authentic,dull finish
and protect the surface of the model. When
dry carefully remove the masking from the
clear oarts.

Paint panels
F533613 tudqrcTan

Paint inletsand doors

Deca l1 7 -4 p l a c e s FS34nl SAC BomberTan

Dec allT - 4p l a c e s
on each inlet.

Basic color is
FS 36tttt(, Guil Gny

Decal 25

Paintall controlsurfaces PaintGunmrtal

FS%076 tunz* Gny Paint panel
FS 33613 Radome Tan
i lo
SR-75/XR-7Comblnation
TheXR-7 ThunderDartis conceivedas a
hypersonicair-breathingvehiclecapableof
Mach7+ speed. lt is notorbital. TheSR-75/
XR-71n2 scalemodelcombination makes
intoan out-standing modelpresentation. lt
illustratesa very advancedaeronautical
concept- the "mothership" and 'papoose"-
lhat actuallydatesbackto WorldWar ll. The
mostreceNand historically veriliableuseof
the systemwasths Lockheed
M-12
mothershiplaunchingLockheedD-21Mach
3.5drones.Therewere3 successful
launches fromthe M-12.TheSR-75/XR-7
D-21
is
the latestuseol lhe systembasics.
Furtherbackground
ft is notunusualfor the UnitedStates
government to notadmitto the existence
of
advancednewaircraftflyingin the skies.
Thiswasdonebackin the 1950'swhenthe
CentralIntelligence Agencyneededthe
ability1ooverflythe SovietUnion.The
Lockheed U-2wasdeveloped for that
missionandpedormedfor manyyearsin a
spy function.Andto thisveryday laterand
largerversionsof the U-2,nowdesignated
U-2R,stillfly highlysecretreconnaissance
flightsintoor aroundthe bordersof nations
considered potentialwar enemiesof the
UnitedStates.
Inthe earlydaysit wassufficient to merely
takephotographs duringtheday. Much
workwasalsodonelo developbettermaps
of loreignlandsso thatin the caseof warour
Air Force,Navy,andgroundforceswould
havegoodinformation. ln additionthe
development of longrangemissilesrequired
precisetargetinginformation so the missiles
wouldknowwhereto go andcoulddo it very
precisely.Laterrequirements madeELINT
or electronicintelligencegathering- radio
andradarsignalsandtransmitter locations-
a very importantneed.
r\
7'-,...--<..__!..- l
/---
94c
SR-75Testor klt No.568
Satellites camson lineto do someof the
missions formerlyhandledby the aircraft.
Satellitesprovidestrategicintelligence but
havea numberof drawbacks.Theyorbiton
a predic{able flightpathso the enemyknows
whentheyarecomingandstopshissecret
activities
or bringsthe equipment inside.We
do thisat GroomLakeandat othertest
installationsourselves.Mannedairplanes or
reconnaissance dronesdo not havethat
limitation.Bytheirnature,if the launchspot
is notknown,the enemydoesn'tevenknow
whereto beginlooking.Thelaunchof an
XR-7typevehiclefromthebackof an SR-75
typemothership wouldbe a meansto keep
the preciselaunchpointa secret.Oneof the
otherproblems withsatellites
is theiroptics
canbe blindedwithhigh-power LASER
devicesaimedandfiredfromtheground.
To intercepta hypersonicvehiclerequiresan
interceptionsystemthatcandetectanddo
extremely rapidmathematicalcalculationsin
orderto placean intercepting
set of devices
wherethe reconplane is going to be. And
thiswhib that machineis movingat Mach7+
airspeeds!Fewnationscan affordsuch
systemsandevenfewercanbuildthem.
XR-7- Testor klt No. 567
Askto seethis kit at
yourhobbydealer.
XR-7launchpylonpartsareincluded
in the XR-7modelkit. Theyare not in
the SR-75kit.
Today's world also requiresthe ability to
remotely detect the location of nuclear
materialsand weapons. This is very difficult
to do. Yet it was at one time difficuhto
detect infraredemissionsas well. That
probfemwas solved. Gammaenergy.from
radioactivematerialsare the most energetic
and easiestto detect. One must also
rememberthat radioactivematerialsproduce
other effectson gases and materialsaround
them which might be easierto detect- those
effects become clues so to speak. These
sensors may be more effective at detection
than even would-begamma detectors.
h would be a very foolish nationthat did not
attemptto maintainnuclearsurveillancein
today's politicallyf racturedworld.
Launchinga hypersonicvehiclefrom the
back of another craft makes practical and
operationalsense. Much fuel is used in
gettingan aircraftfrom ground levelto an
operational altitude. That fuel can be saved
with an air launch. Lockheeddemonstrated
lhis with the D-21 ramjet powered drones 25
years ago. Why not again but this time
higherand faster? Watch the skieslll
No.568 11

The Groom Lake, Nevada,test facilityis also

knownas Area51 or Dreamland.Located
94 milesNNW of Las Vegas,it is rich in
aviationhistory.Firstbuiltand usedfor the
flighttestof LockheedU-2 spyplanesand
the trainingol CentralIntelligence Agenry
pilotsto fly them, it began its secretdays in
1955. The base has neyerbeen out of
publicview from hikeableground locations
whilethe militarycountedon the remote
locationof the facilityto providea major part
of the security. You simplycannot see the
base from any highwayin the area. The CIA
precursors to the SR-71, the A-11 and A-12,
first flew from Groom. They were followed
by the F-117 stealthfighterand numerous
first flights yet to be revealed. Rumors
persistthat even extraterrestrialUFOs have
been workedon in the Groom area. Many
peoplelaboredlong and hard in total secrecy "";
to test and lly remarkablemachines.
Perhaps,wilh the Cold War now over, they
can finallytelltheirlamilieswherethe;r
disappearedto for weeks at a time. We
salutethese dedicatedpeople. Bravol ;\

Clearlyshownis runway14-32(magnetic).
Thisfacilityis wherethe CIA U-2, CIA A-11,
USAFF-117 StealthFighterand what is now
known as Aurorafirst flew. Note the &52 on
the ground at top center. The scale of the
photo at right is very closelo 'l inch equaling
3, 29 0 1 e e t .

To see how the base looked20 years later in

1988,see the instructionsheetof the Testor
kit No. 567 ThunderDart. The 1968ohoto
hereand the Russian1988photoare the
same scaleand when placedside by side
clearlyshowthe changesin this once very
secretbase. You will see how the runway
was lengthenedand changesin the base
housingstructures. No true secretsare
revealedin eitherol these screened
photographic reproductions.

The photographat rightwas purchasedin

1984from the NationalCadographicInlor-
mationCenterof 345 MiddlefieldRoad,
Menlo Park,CA 94025. This is a U.S.
governmentagencyand office.

The photo shows the test facilityat Groom

Lake,NV, as it appearedon 28 August'1968.
The photo is frame 2-147trom roll GS-X-
VBSL. You can order this photographfrom
the aboveoffice.

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