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don't flame me for "violating national security!!!" It discusses the "Aurora"
spy plane, military "black" budgets, and even includes neutron beam weapons!!


This is a follow-up to previous messages I had posted on the subject of
the "Aurora" hypersonic spy plane and the Dept. of Defense's "black" budget.
In an earlier posting I mentioned that Item #15 in the Defense Critical
Technologies Plan was for "pulsed power". This was based on a one-page summary
in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine, p. 57, May 20, 1991. I had
assumed that "pulsed power" referred to the pulsating engines of "Aurora"
I tried to get the document in question, for 1992, as mentioned in the article.
I guess the local document depository has a limited budget, because they didn't
have it. However, I did read the Defense Critical Technologies Plan for fiscal
year '91 (DOD document # AD-A219 300). Item #15 (Pulsed Power) describes
high-energy weapons including rail guns (electromagnetic launchers in DOD
terminology) and neutral particle beams (which I had thought were impossible).
But back to "Aurora" - Item #14 in the Defense Critical Technologies Plan
describes air-breathing propulsion systems and includes this remark on page
A-154 : "Hypersonic aircraft have the potential to enhance military capability
to make high-speed intercepts and timely reconnaissance. Hypersonic
air-breathing technology is the second highest priority effort in this area."

To get more of a feel for how "black" programs operate, I read several reports
prepared by the House Armed Services Committee about defense procurement, the
Navy's cancelled A-12 Stealth fighter (the drawing of it looks like a two-man
flying pizza slice), and the B-2 Stealth fighter (which indicated that key
members of Congress knew a good deal and appear to have supported it because
subcontracts were given in 46 states and affected 383 Congressional districts).
Unfortunately a lot of the testimony had phrases like "we can't discuss that
in open session, we'll have to talk about it in the vault at the top of the
Capitol" particularly when discussing how the B-2 wasn't as stealthy as it was
supposed to be. Reading the budget documents shows me that the aerospace press
may be mistaken in identifying "Aurora" as "Senior Citizen". According to the
'93 budget, "Senior Citizen" is listed as a tactical aircraft (presumably the
TR-3A) while another project (under intelligence funding) describes "Senior
Year" operations. So, "Aurora" may actually be "Senior Year"

Without further adieu, here's a list of really secret Defense research &
development programs taken from the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 1993 (House of Representatives Report 102-527). I bet you could
have all sorts of fun asking military types what these things are at a cocktail
party... Note: code names such as "Senior Citizen" are given in quotes.

Agency             Description                       Program element #
-------            -----------                       ------------------
        ****** Technology base programs ******
Army               "Tractor Field"                   0602123A
Army               electronic warfare technology     0602270A

        ****** Strategic programs ******
Army               special programs                  0102814A
Army               classified program                0102830A
Army               classified program                0102831A
Army               world-wide military               0303152A
                   communications & control system
Air Force          "Olympic"                         0603105F
Air Force          special evaluation program        0603110F
Air Force          "Meridian"                        0603115F
Air Force          advanced strategic programs       0101815F
Air Force          classified program                0102830F
Air Force          classified program                0102831F
Air Force          special applications programs     0305124F
Air Force          special analysis activities       0305892F


        ****** Tactical programs ******
Army               nuclear munitions - advanced      0603604A
                   development
Army               armament enhancement initiative   0603639A
Army               electronic warfare development    0604270A
Army               classified program - advanced     0603754A
                   development
Air Force          technical evaluation system       0603107F
Air Force          joint tactical fusion program     0604321F
Air Force          "Constant Help"                   0207137F
Air Force          "Seek Clock"                      0207169F
Air Force          special tactical unit             0207248F
                   detachments
Air Force          "Copper Coast"                    0207424F
Air Force          tactical improvement program      0207433F
Air Force          "Omega"                           0207591F
Air Force          "Have Flag"                       0208042F
Air Force          "Centennial"                      0305142F
Air Force          "Senior Citizen"                  0401316F

        ****** Intelligence and communications ******
Army               special Army program              0301359A
Army               foreign counterintelligence       0305127A
                   activities
Navy               technical reconnaissance          0301327N
                   & surveillance
Navy               communications security (COMSEC)  0303401N
Navy               special activities                0304111N
Air Force          intelligence production           0301305F
                   activities
Air Force          foreign technology division       0301310F
Air Force          infrared/electro-optical/directed 0301314F
                   energy weapons
Air Force          missile & space technical         0301315F
                   collection
Air Force          "Senior Year" operations          0301317F
Air Force          "Forest Green"                    0301324F
Air Force          intelligence telecom & defense    0301339F
                   special security
Air Force          NUDET detection system            0301357F
Air Force          communications security (COMSEC)  0303401F
Air Force          special activities                0304111F
Air Force          defense reconnaissance support    0305159F
DOD                cryptologic activities            0301011G
DOD                general defense intelligence      0301301L
DOD                communications security (COMSEC)  0303401G
DOD                defense reconnaissance support    0305159G
DOD                computer security                 0305167G
DOD                intelligence planning & review    0305884L
DOD                tactical cryptologic activities   0305885G


Now that I have budget info, I will try and work backwards through the budget
to get a ballpark cost for these programs. As can be seen above, the Air Force
is the worst offender for hiding their programs, with the Navy only hiding
the cost of programs that need to be really secret. Now, I have some material
to put together a FOIA request as a taxpayer!!


 




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