This article is about UFO's: for other uses see the disambiguation page Black triangle. Black triangle may refer to one of the following: A type of UFO-like sighting: see Black triangles. ...

Black triangles are black and are a kind of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) that have been reportedly observed in the skies since the 1940s (and possibly earlier), to the present day. They have appeared more commonly over cities of the United States, and England, but have been spotted world wide including a mass sighting over St. Petersburg, Russia on February 19, 1997. This work is copyrighted. ... UFO can mean: Unidentified flying object United Future Organization, a Japanese-Brazilian electronic jazz band UFO, the rock band that previously featured Michael Schenker UFO, the Gerry Anderson TV series United Farmers of Ontario, a political party that formed the government in Ontario from 1919 to 1923 U.F.O... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Saint Petersburg  listen (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since then, hundreds of observers have reported enormous, totally silent, black triangular craft hovering or slowly cruising at low altitudes over cities and highways, usually at night and making no attempt to evade detection. The craft are even described by many observers as having some sort of "running lights", either bright white lights or flashing colored lights. These lights usually appear at each corner point of the triangle. Sometimes a red pulsating light can be seen at the center.

These objects are also sometimes known by the names "Big Black Deltas" (BBDs) or "Flying Triangles."

Reported sightings

Unknown to many, triangular-shaped UFOs have been reported since the 1940s. Accounts of flying triangles, wedges, or boomerangs have increased dramatically since the 1990s. The sightings report clearly visible objects over densely populated areas and highways, many over the United States and England, as well as other parts of the world. A geographic distribution of U.S. sightings has been correlated by a currently inactive American-based investigative organization, the National Institute for Discovery Science, which led to a July, 2002 report that suggested that the craft may belong to the U.S. Air Force; however, a subsequent report in August, 2004 by the same organization (NIDS) found that the rash of sightings did not conform to previous deployment of black project aircraft and that the objects' origins and agendas were unknown. A typical wooden returning boomerang A boomerang is a simple wooden implement used for various purposes. ... The National Institute for Discovery Science was founded by Robert Bigelow as a way to channel funds into the proper scientific study of paranormal phenomena. ...

Typical sightings

B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

Most black triangle reports indicate that the craft are at least 200 ft (60 m) long and often likened to the dimensions of a typical football field in width. They usually move very slowly or linger hovering in one place in the sky for several minutes. Sometimes they even land on the ground. They typically appear silently, and seemingly "out of nowhere", drifting a few hundred feet or less above the ground. Sometimes the craft are reported to be capable of sudden, very fast acceleration, as are often mentioned in the descriptions of other kinds of UFOs. Download high resolution version (750x617, 76 KB)B2-Spirit. ... Download high resolution version (750x617, 76 KB)B2-Spirit. ... The B-2 Spirit, made by Northrop Grumman, is an multi-role stealth aircraft able to drop conventional and nuclear weapons. ...

Some triangular UFO reports may be sightings of one or more government black projects, which may be under development by the military and contractors as security and surveillance tools. On the other hand, the common observation that these craft appear over populated areas and make no effort to evade detection sheds doubt on any argument that they are an advanced United States military craft under development, like the F-117 Nighthawk or B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft, which were sighted only occasionally during testing over sparsely populated areas of the Southwest, such as Groom Lake (Area 51), and usually at night. The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, nicknamed “The Black Jet”[2], is the worlds first operational aircraft completely designed around stealth technology. ... The B-2 Spirit, made by Northrop Grumman, is an multi-role stealth aircraft able to drop conventional and nuclear weapons. ... USAF stealth bomber Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. ... The Southwest region of the United States is drier than the adjoining Midwest in weather; the population is less dense and, with strong Spanish-American and Native American components, more ethnically varied than neighboring areas. ... Alternate meaning: Area 51 (video game) Satellite view of Area 51 from 1968, more construction happened since then Area 51 is a parcel of U.S. military-controlled land in southern Nevada, apparently containing a secret aircraft testing facility. ... Satellite view of Area 51 from 1968. ...

Illinois police sighting incident

On January 5, 2000, beginning shortly after 4:00 am, five on-duty Illinois police officers in separate locations sighted and reported a massive, unidentified triangular aircraft. Two of the five officers reported flight characteristics that do not conform to currently known technologies, as the object appeared to move at incredible speeds without making any sound. Sightings occurred in Highland, Illinois by a civilian who first reported to the local police department and subsequent sightings took place in Lebanon, Summerfield, Shiloh, Millstadt, Dupo and O'Fallon, Illinois. Local Scott Air Force Base public relations office denied any knowledge of the event. The incident was featured in Peter Jennings' final ABC television special, "UFOs: Seeing is Believing". The event has been addressed by several U.S. cable television programs and one independent documentary. January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 0 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Highland is a city located in Madison County, Illinois. ... Summerfield is a village located in St. ... Shiloh is a village in St. ... Millstadt is a village located in St. ... Dupo is a village located in St. ... OFallon is a city located in St. ... Scott Air Force Base (Scott AFB) (IATA: BLV, ICAO: KBLV) is an base of the United States Air Force in St. ... Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM (July 29, 1938 – August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-American journalist and news anchor. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ...

This story was also featured in 2005 on a segment of the SciFi Channel paranormal investigation series "Proof Positive" (episode #108). To substantiate that the police officers did in fact witness the same unexplained aircraft, and their reports correlated together, all five were given a lie detector test and asked various questions about the incident. All five officers passed the test and the show gave the story a "proof positive". 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SCI FI (sometimes rendered Sci-Fi when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ... Proof Positive is a paranormal investigation show broadcast by the SciFi Channel in 2004 and 2005. ... A polygraph or lie detector is a device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being asked, in an attempt to detect lies. ...

Rendlesham Forest incident

A Pyramid shaped craft was reported to have landed during the December 27, 1980 Rendlesham Forest UFO incident near an American air base in Suffolk, England. Military personnel even reported to have approached at least one of the landed craft in the forest and observed it in great detail before it once again took flight. Another craft was observed landing in an open field near the base and then taking off at incredible speed. Between 2002 and 2005, reporter Bryant Gumbel hosted a series of exclusive SciFi Channel documentaries, one of which was entitled, UFO Invasion at Rendlesham, and focused on this incident where he interviewed some of the men involved with the sighting. The documentary toured some of the various scenes and attempted to gather evidence that something landed in the forest. December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Rendlesham Forest Incident occurred over a three-day span in 1980 and is also known as the British version of the Roswell UFO incident. ... This article is about the English county. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bryant Gumbel Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948), is an American television personality for news and sports programs. ... SCI FI (sometimes rendered Sci-Fi when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ...

See Rendlesham Forest Incident for more details. The Rendlesham Forest Incident is the most famous UFO event to have happened in Britain, and now believed in the world. ...

Phoenix lights incident

One of the more famous appearances of these craft was during the event known as the "Phoenix Lights", where multiple unidentified objects, many of them black triangles, were spotted by the residents of Phoenix, Arizona and videotaped by both the local media and residents with camcorders across multiple evenings beginning on Thursday, March 13, 1997. Some lights drifted as low as 1000 feet and moved far too slowly and silently for conventional aircraft. If they were helicopters, they produced no sound. Some of the lights appeared to group up in a giant "V" formation that lingered above the city for several minutes. Many residents reported one triangle to be over a mile wide that drifted slowly over their houses blocking out the stars of the night sky. Other reports indicated the craft were spotted flying away from Phoenix as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California. Nickname: Valley of the Sun Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area    - City 1,230. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Entertainment Capital of the World; Sin City Location of Las Vegas in Nevada Coordinates: County Clark Mayor Oscar B. Goodman(D) Area    - City 131. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ...

An official report made by the Air Force about the incident concluded that the military had been testing flares launched from conventional aircraft during that time. Eyewitnesses confirmed military jets were scrambled from nearby Luke Air Force Base, but instead of launching flares, they were seen chasing after some of the objects. Luke Air Force Base, Arizona is a large Luke beacuse he is Americas idle. ...

The next few nights, in an attempt to recreate the incident, local pilots flew prop-planes over the city in a "V" formation, but the sounds of their engines were easily heard. The original lights made no sound. Flares were also deployed above Phoenix. Comparison of the video taken of the lights (which appeared at night) against daytime images of the same scene show that the lights "disappear" at the exact moment they are shown to fall behind a mountain range. The mountains were invisible against the night sky. There were also no reported radar sightings of the objects which is consistent with the flare theory.

See Phoenix Lights for more details. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Belgian Air Force report

On March 30, 1990, citizens of the city of Ans, Belgium spotted a large black triangular craft that hovered silently over the city for several minutes. Local police officials arrived on the scene and reported observing the object as it hovered over apartment buildings. One officer reported the object released a red glowing disk of light from the center that flew down to the ground and darted around several buildings before disappearing. The larger craft eventually took off at high speed. March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... ANS is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: // The IATA code for the Andahuaylas Airport in Andahuaylas, Apurímac, Peru The ANS organization (the American Nuclear Society) The ANS organization (the American National Standards) The ANS organization (the American Numismatic Society) The ANS in biology (the...

The Belgian Air Force scrambled F-16's to pursue the craft once it was spotted on ground radar systems. Both the fighter pilots and radar operators reported the objected would dart ahead at incredible speeds every time they finally had a radar lock on the craft. One pilot reported the object's speed at over 900 knots. After 9 confirmed target locks the object finally vanished off their screens. A knot is a unit of speed, abbreviated kt or kn. ...

The Belgian Air Force has gone on record with the details of its Black Triangle pursuit. It released its radar video footage and its conclusions, ruling out the following origins of the object in question:

• Balloons. Impossible due to the highly variable speeds (confirmed visually and by radar).
• ULM. Same as for balloons.
• UAV. Impossible due to the hovering characteristics.
• Aircraft (including Stealth). Same as for RPV. No noise.
• Laser projections or Mirages. Unlikely due to lack of projection surface (no clouds). Light spots have been observed from different locations. Light spots moved over distance of more than 15 nautical miles (28 km). Form of unlighted part of spots has been observed with spectacles. Laser projections or mirages can not be detected by radar.

The report concludes that the Belgian Air Force was, "unable to identify either the nature or the origin of the phenomena". Ulm is a city in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube, about 90 km south-east of Stuttgart and 140 km north-west of Munich. ... Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over Iraq. ... A nautical mile is a unit of length. ...

It should be noted that some subsequent studies present a much more cautious and sceptical view of the events discussed in the Belgian Air Force report - disputing both the accuracy of some of the statements made in that report, and the interpretation of the events described (see for example the detailed summary at http://members.aol.com/TPrinty/Belg.html, which also provides references to other sources).

Moscow Night Sightings

An especially interesting sightings occurred near Moscow on March 12, 1990. Several groups of UFOs were seen, some of which were spheres and discs, and some of which appeared to be huge triangular-shaped craft. Many local people spent the night on their rooftops watching these silent objects dart through the sky. In fact, during the spring of 1990, it appears that Russia had more, and more spectacular, UFO cases than did Belgium. The CIA retained several accounts of this wave from the Soviet-Russian media, although CIA reports themselves, assuming they exist, have yet to be released. Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ...

The TR-3A and TR-3B

A speech given at the International UFO Congress, in Laughlin, Nevada in 1998 by Edgar Rothschild Fouche, (an engineer who claims to have worked at Area 51), suggests that the Black Triangle is a Top Secret, experimental, U.S. Air Force vehicle known as the TR-3B, code named "Astra". The International UFO Congress is an annual event held in Laughlin, Nevada. ... Laughlin is a census-designated place located in Clark County, Nevada. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Satellite view of Area 51 from 1968. ... A typical classified document. ...

The TR-3B is supposed to be a 600 foot wide (180 m), triangular aerospace vehicle that utilizes a nuclear reactor to generate an intense magnetic field that negates Earth's gravitational forces on the mass of the vehicle by 89%, rendering it extremely lightweight. It also manipulates this field for propulsion and can maneuver on the spot, vertically and horizontally, at incredible speeds up to Mach 9, and climb to an altitude of 120,000 feet (36.6 km). The aircraft is also equipped with advanced Electromagnetic Counter Measures ECM systems that render it nearly invisible to radar, or makes the craft appear as an aircraft of smaller size than it really is. Core of a small nuclear reactor used for research. ... ECM is an abbreviation of: Electret condenser microphone Electro chemical machining Electronic countermeasures Electronic contract manufacturing Electronic control module Elliptic curve method (integer factorization) Electron Cloud Model Enterprise content management Entitlement control message - in secure data transfer Error correction mode (fax protocol) Essentials of Clinical Medicine Extracellular matrix See also...

If a conventional nuclear reactor is used it must be designed in an unconventional way which looks suspiciously like impossible technology for this time period. The reactor would need bulky shielding, and the heat produced would have to be converted into electricity to run the coils that produce the magnetic levitation field for the aircraft. The machinery needed would likely make the aircraft much too heavy to fly. There are a number of uses for the word shield: A shield is a protective device, meant to intercept attacks. ...

There is also mention of the TR-3A, code named "Black Manta", which is reported to be similar to the 3B but smaller in size, with a boomerang shaped wingspan of 60 feet (18 m) and a tapered length of 45 feet (14 m). The TR-3A Black Manta is reputedly a United States Air Force spyplane. ...

The TR-3A/B may be the most classified aerospace development program in existence. Fouche reported that the development of the crafts were funded by black project monies, and overseen by the NRO, CIA, and NSA. Design of the vehicles were part of the Aurora Project, and was spawned by technologies developed in the 1980s for other classified aircraft such as the SR-75 Aurora. Some speculate the technology behind such crafts were the result of reverse engineering captured or exchanged alien technology, such as that reported to have been retrieved after the Roswell, New Mexico UFO crash incident in 1947. In the United States a black project is a top-secret military/defense project, unacknowledged by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. ... The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is an agency in the United States Department of Defense (DoD) which designs, builds and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the United States government. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... NSA can stand for: National Security Agency of the USA The British Librarys National Sound Archive This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... Aurora (also credited as the SR-91 Aurora) is the popular name for a hypothesised American reconnaissance aircraft, believed by some to be capable of hypersonic flight at speeds of Mach 5+. According to the hypothesis, the Aurora was developed in the 1980s or 1990s as a replacement for the... Reverse engineering (RE) is the process of taking something (a device, an electrical component, a software program, etc. ... Flag Seal Nickname: All America City Location Location in the state of New Mexico. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

The TR-3A/B allegation has been exercised by some as an explanation for many triangle sightings; however, no evidence has been presented to prove this theory accounts for the hundreds of sightings of triangular-shaped aircraft with odd aerodynamic flight characteristics that have been documented as early as the 1930s.

Other theories

The remaining possibilities are

• that they are previously unknown American aircraft, manned or unmanned, which are being deployed in a 'high-visibility' fashion, but without public notice for some reason;
• that they belong to some nation or organization other than the United States, which wishes to display itself in this fashion;
• that they are some sort of common error of identification of some 'conventional' modern aircraft; explaining why the observations began in the 1990s;
• or that they are of extraterrestrial origin.

One possibility is that the craft represent some form of advanced technology lighter than air craft. This would account for their size, low speed, low altitude, and silence. Such a vehicle would be advantageous in terms of payload size, fuel efficiency, extended time aloft, and ability to remain close to a location on the ground or a ground vehicle or group of vehicles for long periods. However, this would not explain why they would be displayed so freely, but with no official comment of any kind, or the reports of sudden high acceleration as in the Illinois case [1]. This possibility must, however, be weighed against the "Belgian Triangle" sightings involving Black Triangles identical to the objects sighted in American airspace. These Belgian Triangles demonstrated flight performance characteristics beyond the fighter jets used by the Belgian Air Force in their attempt to intercept them. The Wallonia Triangles were both photographed, filmed and tracked on radar, ruling out mass delusion as the source of the sightings. Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ... Extraterrestrial, as an adjective, refers to something that originates, occurs, or is located outside Earth or its atmosphere. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship or dirigible is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ...

Obviously, the other possibilities, that these sightings are either genuinely 'paranormal' in some way, or, conversely, merely some sort of mass delusion, open the door to almost any sort of speculation. Until more evidence of a different kind appears, or an American military or other group officially claims responsibility, what reality lies behind the American reports will remain unknown. Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe a wide variety of reported anomalous phenomena. ... A mass hallucination is a phenomenon in which a large group of people, usually in physical proximity to each other, all experience the same hallucination simultaneously. ...

Black triangles in fiction

• A few black triangle ships have been featured in the X-Files television series.

• The fictional experimental F-302 aerospace fighters developed by the Air Force in the sci-fi television series Stargate SG-1, are based on reverse-engineered alien technology. These craft are triangular in appearance and may have been inspired by the TR-3A.

• TR-3B Flight Simulator for FS2002 TR-3B. Based on Edgar Fouche's specifications from his Area-51 involvement.

X-Files intro from first 8 seasons The X-Files was a popular 1990s American science fiction television series created by Chris Carter. ... The F-302 Fighter The F-302 Fighter is a fictional spacecraft in the science-fiction television show, Stargate SG-1. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series based upon the 1994 science fiction film Stargate. ...

References

External links

• Belgian Triangle incidents, 1989 1991
• What are the Triangles?
• Account of the January 5, 2000 Illinois police triangle sighting.
• A historical record of triangular UFO
• Aereon, a company developing advanced technology lighter than air craft
• A book describing the history of Aereon
• MSNBC: ‘Flying Triangle’ sightings on the rise (September 2, 2004)
• Summary of the Black Triangle UFO phenomenon from Space.Com
• Black Triangle UFO phenomenon reports, history and rare images of the craft
• www.ufocasebook.com/Search:Flying Triangles
• TR-3B (realistic, except for the cockpit) flight simulator Photo Gallery