Kenneth Williams wrote:

A friend recently assured me that the mystery stealth aircraft that
crashed at Boscome Down was a TR-3B ASTRA (Advanced Stealth Technology
Recon Aircraft) which was positively identified as aircraft AV-6,
serial number 94-2414, call sign "Blackbuc 11".

He also said that Lockheed isn't the most advanced stealth designer
anymore as the TR-3B is made by Northrop's ATDC as well as being the
leading designer of the future B-3 bomber.

Is any of this true, and if so, how did he get the info?

He also said the ASTRA each cost $5 trillion!!! I can only guess that
we possess around 3 of them, so what would one be doing in the UK?

The way the crash was described to me made it sound like a stealth
fighter was involved, not a huge triangular recon aircraft. The
aircraft described was more likened to the losing YF-23, I thought.

Anyone else heard the same?


Back then `Air Forces Monthly' and probably also `Aircraft Illustrated'
had articles about the mystery crash, including (very uncharacteristic
for the former magazine) a whole load of speculation including that it
could be the aircraft sometimes referred to as the TR-3A (if there is
such a thing) or the A-somenumber `ASTRA' which is rumoured to owe a lot
to the YF-23. As far as I'm concerned, it still is nothing but
speculation, since nor a TR-3A, nor the ASTRA have ever been confirmed
to exist.
Still, I wouldn't be surprised if something `black' crashed there. The
US spends billions of Dollars on `black' projects. Once in a while some
of the products of are actually made public. The `Have Blue' (and the
F-117) is such a case, as are the more recent Northrop `Tacit Blue' test
platform and the Lockheed Martin `Bird of Prey' fighter concept. Who
knows whether other aircraft are lurking in the shadows?
You can rest assured, though, that whatever it was that supposedly
crashed, it's bound not to have cost $5 Trillion Dollars!

Regards,
Ralph Savelsberg



Kenneth Williams