{ https://www.downtoearth.org.in/science-technology }

Newly Identified “Pristine’ Moon Crater Offers Rare Opportunity

According to a study detailing the newly discovered lunar impact crater, initial estimates suggest it is about 222 meters in diameter. The study authors said crater production models predict that craters of McGetchin’s size occur on the Moon once every 132 years on average, “making it an event of century-scale rarity.”

The research team said the new crater is the largest since NASA’s LRO mission began in 2009. The previous record holder was 70 meters smaller than McGetchin

The research team said the crater’s exceptional size and pristine state “make it an exceptional natural experiment” for measuring the lunar surface’s reaction to a relatively fresh impact. They also noted that the crater’s recent formation offers researchers a chance to study it before it is permanently changed by “space weathering, impact gardening, and other surface processes.”

“Discovered in repeat Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images, it provides a unique opportunity to study surface modification by a pristine impact, prior to subsequent fading,” they explained.

Shedding Light on A Lunar Cold Spot Mystery

Beyond fresh surface details, the researchers said the newly formed crater “provides the best opportunity yet to observe a large, virtually unaltered cold spot with well-characterized pre-impact conditions.”

First discovered in nighttime temperature data from the LRO’s Diviner Lunar Radiometer, cold spots are mysterious regions around fresh impact craters that are cooler than the surrounding regolith.

“Cold spots are extensive regions of reduced nighttime temperature relative to surrounding terrain that have been observed around young impact craters between ∼30 m and ∼2 km in diameter,” the research team explained.

This combination of photos made by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the same area on the surface of the moon before and after a newly-discovered crater in May 2024.

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Intuitive Machines via AP)

These lunar cold spots are also much larger than the actual craters they encompass. According to the study authors, some cold spots extend “tens to, in some cases, hundreds of crater radii.”

Regolith Decompaction Could Explain Temperature Difference

While more research is needed to explain their existence, the research team said most theories suggest that lunar cold spots result from a “decompaction” of the upper layer of regolith during the impact event.

“Thermal modeling shows that the observed nighttime cooling is consistent with reduced density in the upper centimeters of the regolith, resulting in lower thermal inertia,” they explained.

The team notes that the Apollo 16 mission landed on a ‘faint’ cold spot associated with the South Bay crater, and measurements taken there by that mission’s astronauts support the decompaction theory. For example, Astronauts’ footprints left in the South Bay cold spot were measurably deeper than similar prints at other lunar landing sites.

When measuring the temperature around the newly formed McGetchin crater, the researchers found it was 8 to 9 kelvin cooler than its surrounding area. The team said this measurement is “consistent with decompaction of the upper centimeters to decimeters of regolith.”

The team also found that cold spot anomalies increased with crater size. This supports the idea that larger impacts result in more regolith decompaction.

Providing Calibration for Fading Timescale Cold Spots

When discussing the significance of their findings, the Johns Hopkins-led research team noted that cold spots fade extremely slowly, “on ∼100 ka to ∼2 Ma timescales.” This makes these natural formations reliable dating markers of some of the Moon’s youngest impact craters.

For example, when investigating all newly formed craters over 20 meters in diameter, the team found that all those that were larger than 30 meters produced detectable cold spots. The team said this suggests that cold spot formation is a “common consequence of fresh lunar impacts.”

The study authors said that finding relatively young lunar impact craters “has enabled their use in investigations of regolith thickness, the recent impact cratering rate, and as potential source craters for lunar meteorites.”

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

“This will improve our understanding of cold spot formation and provide a calibration for the fading timescale of cold spots, potentially enabling age estimates for some of the youngest craters on the Moon using cold spot properties,” they explained.

The study “New lunar crater reveals extensive distal regolith modification” was published in Science Advances.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

“Today, we face a mix of rapidly changing technologies, adversaries moving aggressively to employ them, and a budget process for a different pace of warfare,” Meink said, while emphasizing the need to “defend the homeland, deter all adversaries, and … if necessary … win in combat.”

Meink added that “the threat is changing actually faster than I thought possible when I took this job 18 months ago.” Meink also highlighted the growing influence of artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, and autonomous systems, noting that U.S. forces increasingly face adversaries equipped with advanced technological capabilities.

These technologies, Meink said, are “revolutionizing the battlefield” and allowing countries that previously lacked the necessary resources to rapidly adapt and expand their combat capabilities.

“We are increasing readiness against existing threats, and the United States has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action,” Meink added.

The September 14 statement represents the most direct public acknowledgment to date by a senior U.S. defense official that American space-control weapons are already deployed in orbit. Meink did not provide details about their number, location, capabilities, or specific systems involved.

The acknowledgment comes as the U.S. military increasingly treats space as a contested operational domain. That shift became institutionalized on December 20, 2019, when the U.S. Space Force was established as a separate military service. However, the United States had relied on space-based military capabilities for decades before the Space Force’s creation.

Satellites provide critical communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance, and missile-warning capabilities, making their protection increasingly important as potential adversaries develop systems capable of disrupting or disabling space-based infrastructure.

“Because of the steps we’re taking today, we’ll have a radically different-looking Air Force by 2032,” Meink said.

Point Defense

Meink also discussed lessons from recent conflicts that have placed renewed emphasis on point defense—the protection of military bases, airfields, and other critical assets from incoming threats.

The Department of the Air Force is also increasingly focused on combining crewed aircraft with lower-cost autonomous systems as it seeks to expand combat capacity.

“When we pair manned aircraft with low-cost autonomous systems, we will be able to unlock combat power at scale,” Meink said during this week’s address.

“We will dramatically increase our combat power by adding large numbers of highly autonomous systems. We’re using concepts such as Open Systems Architecture to accelerate procurement, which has also increased competition from industry, resulting in better choices, better prices, and more combat power.

What 2032 will hold 

Looking toward 2032, Meink outlined an Air Force increasingly reliant on autonomous and uncrewed systems.

“Our special operators will be able to employ thousands of autonomous one-way attack weapons. And we will have autonomous fighters, like the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCAs. We intend to have at least 500 of these in service by 2032,” Meink said.

Meink also said the Department is developing a new uncrewed, multipurpose aircraft called the Mass Modular Aircraft (MMA).

“MMAs will provide affordable, attritable, long-range combat power. And we’ll field them at scale. With budget support, we will field 100 MMA by 2029 at half the cost of a CCA and 1/10 the cost of a fifth-gen. fighters. So, that by 2032, 500 of these platforms will join our Air Force’s operational fleet,” Meink said.

The acceleration of proliferated space constellations is another major focus. Meink highlighted the Space-Based Interceptor program, which he said progressed from an initial contract to flight-ready hardware in less than a year. The Space Data Network is also advancing, while launches of an Air Moving Target Indication constellation are scheduled to begin this month.

Meink said the Department has established 26 Portfolio Acquisition Executives with increased authority to accelerate acquisition decisions as it attempts to field new technologies more quickly.

“We need that to change to maintain our military advantage and economic security,” Meink said.

• Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

Strange 'centaur' object between Saturn and Uranus has mysterious, changing rings, James Webb telescope study hints

James Webb Space Telescope observations of Chariklo, one of the smallest ringed worlds in the solar system, reveal some inexplicable changes.

 By Elizabeth Howell , Edited by Brandon Specktor, Laura Mondragón

{ https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy }

The UK’s G20 Presidency and the machinery of UAP disclosure

By Helen McCaw 

In light of a newly released interview on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) with a sitting British MP, former Bank of England economist Helen McCaw, author of a 2024 Sol Foundation white paper on the policy implications of UAP for the British government, surveys what is on the official record on both sides of the Atlantic – and notes that the UK is about to hold, for one year, much of the world’s convening machinery. 

Photo by Andreas Ebner from Pexels

What is on the record in the UK

On 27 August the Sol Foundation released an hour-long interviewwith Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, conducted by the Foundation’s co-founder Dr Peter Skafish. Lewis comes to the UAP topic as a self-described sceptic and is careful to rank UAP below his constituents’ material concerns. But in 2025, Lewis used the ordinary machinery of parliamentary scrutiny to ask the Ministry of Defence (MOD) a seriesof questions about UAP, including whether it had participated in any meetings such as the Five Eyes UAP Caucus. The MOD’s answer: it “has not participated in any international groupings specifically focused on [UAP] since May 2023.” Yet in 2024, the US Department of Defense had confirmed the Caucus’s inaugural meeting in May 2023, with the UK on the agenda, and continuing discussions between the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and Five Eyes partners. Lewis contrasts the response from the MOD with information coming from the US government: “Have I been lied to? I’ve definitely been misled.” 

Skafish reports being told by people who “worked on this in an intelligence capacity” that they were “coordinating with other Five Eyes countries” and that the UAP topic falls under the domain of the intelligence community in the US, rather than defence. This aligns with what senior former official Lue Elizondo stated in the 2025 documentary The Age of Disclosure: “The CIA is responsible for the oversight of the overall effort.” Skafish suggests: “It may very well be… that it has been MI6 that’s dealt with this much more than your Ministry of Defence.” Lewis replies: “Yeah, I think so.”

Asked what happens if a US president states that some UAP are non-human technology, Lewis says this would “open the door for countries like the UK.” Lewis’s own position: “I think the British public have a right to know” and “in a democracy, trust is critical.”

What is on the record in the US

The American record on UAP is statutory, annual and ramping up. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) published its first report on UAP in June 2021, in which UAP were treated as a matter of national security and flight safety. Congress has enacted UAP legislation every year since. Its statutory investigatory body, AARO, reports to Congress each year. Two details in AARO’s latest annual report, published in July, bear directly on the UK: (i) AARO’s published definition of a “UAP incursion” extends beyond the US, to include Five Eyes partners; and (ii) AARO’s deputy director presented “a mission briefing to the Defense Geospatial Intelligence conference in London.” 

The UAP Disclosure Act, first introduced in July 2023, has failed in every subsequent year to pass into law. But the Act was adopted by the House in July as an amendment to the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and has moved to the Senate for consideration. The Act defines “non-human intelligence” as “any sentient intelligent non-human lifeform regardless of nature or ultimate origin that may be presumed responsible for unidentified anomalous phenomena.” 

The Act’s language tracks whistleblower testimony given under oath before Congress in July 2023, November 2024 and September 2025. In these hearings, retired US Navy pilots and military personnel testified about UAP encounters, and senior former officials David Grusch and Lue Elizondo testified to the existence of a non-human intelligence responsible for UAP, and a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering programme kept secret from Congress and the American public. Elizondo testified that US adversaries are in possession of UAP technology, and that there exists a “multi-decade secretive arms race.” Grusch testified that “biologics came with some of these recoveries” and, asked whether they were human or non-human, replied “non-human.”

Since May, the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) Task Force has published five tranches of declassified UAP records. It intends to continue releasing files on a rolling basis. The released files are officially designated unresolved, and nothing yet constitutes confirmation of a non-human origin. In June, Professor Avi Loeb was tasked by the White House and the US intelligence community to establish the UAP Science Advisory Council. The Council provides scientific advice and reports to the UAP Governing Board, which includes representatives from the US intelligence community. In July, the ODNI issued an unclassified memorandum to the heads of the eighteen US intelligence agencies, including the Treasury’s, directing that prior UAP non-disclosure agreements be waived for government employees and contractors when speaking to authorised bodies. In response, the law firm DLA Piper issued a client alert – the private sector is engaging.

What I recommended in 2024

In my Sol Foundation publication, I wrote that international collaboration – through, for example, the United Nations – would be required if UAP are non-human in origin. I raised the potential need for “new treaties to prevent the weaponization of UAP technology” and for an interfaith dialogue and, eventually, a council of religious leaders. I also recommended UAP be raised with the Standing Committee on Assessment of Vulnerabilities of the Financial Stability Board (FSB).

One absence

Across the current US architecture, no advisory body with an economic or financial remit has been publicly identified. And no central bank or finance ministry has yet published a word on the subject. The UAP Disclosure Act specifies one economist for a seat on the proposed nine-person Records Review Board, but this legislation has yet to be enacted. 

The calendar

In December, the UK assumes the presidency of the G20 through to the 2027 summit. The FSB, which reports to the G20, is chaired by Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey. And the UK has convened on a novel, contested risk before – on AI safety, at Bletchley Park in 2023. The G20 also has engagement machinery for the sociological dimension: a Religion Forum (R20) and an Interfaith Forum (IF20) that interfaith coalitions are actively pressing to keep beside the leaders’ summit. Strategic stability belongs to the same calendar. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expired in February without a successor. If a sub rosa UAP arms race does exist among the major powers, then strategic stability is a grave dimension of the topic. The UK is about to hold, for one year, most of the world’s convening instruments for the kinds of risk that US government transparency on UAP now raises – financial, strategic and sociological, all at once. 

The question the interview leaves

A British MP has now asked, in public, what his own country’s machinery would be for receiving official US government confirmation that UAP are non-human in origin. The year in which the UK holds the G20 chair is a reasonable year in which to have an answer. 

• Helen McCaw is a former Economist and Senior Analyst in Financial Stability at the Bank of England. Her chapter on UAP and central banking will appear in a forthcoming Stanford University Press volume on the politics of UAP.

{ https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/ }

How did that get there? 1,700–year–old fragment of Homer's Odyssey is discovered hidden between the pages of a Dutch library book

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

A rare 1,700–year–old fragment of Homer's Odyssey has been found tucked between the pages of a Dutch library book.

A researcher was looking through a collection of old Egyptian texts at Utrecht University Library when he came across a torn piece of parchment.

Closer inspection revealed the fragment, which measures just 2.6 by 3 inches (6.6 by 7.7cm), includes verses from Book 12 of the epic Greek poem.

It describes what happened when Odysseus's crew ate the immortal cattle of the sun god Helios – despite his express prohibition.

Helios is so furious, he asks the other gods for revenge – and Zeus sends a terrible storm to rob Odysseus of his ship and companions.

This marked a 'tipping point' in the poem, experts said.

And, since there are only around 30 similar fragments of the Odyssey found so far, this is a remarkable discovery.

They explained: 'This page, written on both sides, will have been a part of a pocket edition of the complete Odyssey – about the size of a Kindle – owned by a fan of Homer living in around 300AD.'

The fragment, which measures just 2.6 by 3 inches (6.6 by 7.7cm), includes verses from Book 12 of the epic Greek poem

The parchment was discovered by Dr Mark de Kreij, a Greek literature expert and professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands.

He found the parchment while studying early Christian manuscripts at the Utrecht University Library.

The majority of these texts were written on parchment in Coptic – the Egyptian language written using the Greek alphabet – but the set included a few Egyptian and Greek papyri.

Hidden among these, first regarded as an unremarkable 7th–century fragment, was a damaged and discoloured fragment with very small, neat letters.

De Kreij soon recognised a few words typical of the Homer epics.

'Book 12 is the final book in Odysseus' nested narrative, before his actual return to Ithaca,' Utrecht University said in a statement.

'In book six, he arrived at the island of Scheria, home to the Phaeacians, after a storm wrecked his ship and killed all of his companions.

'After his arrival, Odysseus tells his hosts in books nine to 12 about the journey that brought him from Troy to Scheria.'

A fresco painted by Pellegrino Tibaldi in 1556, depicting the moment Odysseus' men steal the sacred cattle

The downfall of Odysseus and his men comes when they arrive at Thrinacia, the island of Helios.

Pictured: A scene from the latest film, with Matt Damon playing Odysseus

The journey includes encounters with Cyclops and the powerful goddess Circe, which both Odysseus and most of his crew escape from.

But their downfall comes when the men arrive at Thrinacia, the island of Helios.

The poem tells how Odysseus' right–hand–man begs him to let them land and find food. Odysseus agrees but forbids them from harming any cattle.

When food supplies run low, the crew kill and eat the sacred beasts – leading to the wrath of Helios and the revenge of Zeus, which destroys their ship and all the crew, except for Odysseus.

'The verses (found within the library book) describe exactly the moment Helios finds out what Odysseus' companions have done,' the university said.

'This leads to the lowest point of Odysseus' 10–year journey, but also the start of his mission of revenge against the men who are trying to take charge of his wife Penelope and his palace on Ithaca.

'This is a crucial tipping point in the Odyssey, and not by chance roughly halfway through the 24 books.'

Earlier this year, a fragment from another of Homer's epics – the Iliad – was found inside the gut of an Egyptian mummy dating back 1,600 years.

This marked the first time a Greek literary text had been found incorporated into the preservation process.

It was found in a Roman–era tomb in the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, situated 118 miles (190km) south of Cairo in an area now known as Al–Bahnasa.

The researchers say the papyrus was placed in the abdomen as part of the embalming ritual, which involved dehydrating the body and wrapping it for protection.

Excavations have already uncovered examples of Greek writing included in the mummification process, but all contained magical or ritualistic content.

The Iliad, which dates back to 800BC, is divided into 24 books.

It mainly focuses on the Trojan War and the heroic deeds and tragic fate of Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Greek army.

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Silver Orb Over Jashua Tree, California Panics Women In Pool, Sept 14, 2026, UFO UAP Sighting News

 

Date of sighting: Sept 14, 2026

Location of sighting: Joshua Tree, California, USA

Source: NUFORC #200902

 

This alien orb was caught this week watching two women in a swimming pool and gave them a bit of a fright. The orb is semi transparent and rotating slightly. This is norm for orbs, in the video you can see it go from transparent to metallic to black. It seems very interested in the ladies and since its the desert..may be curious how humans have such luxuries as massive pool of water in a desert of with few signs of life. Aliens love the desert area, probably reminds them of their home world. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily 

 

Eyewitness states: 

RELATED

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

Someone Found An Alien Drone Orb In Norway On The beach, UFO UAP Sighting News.

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

EXCLUSIVE - Mysterious sightings at 'China's Area 51' spark major warnings to America over top secret weapons

By CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR

A secretive Chinese base that has been compared to America's Area 51 is believed to be testing the next generation of stealth warfare, with one expert warning that China has likely taken a clear lead in this new arms race.

In recent months, the first images of a mysterious new aircraft were captured at Malan Air Base, a remote facility in the northwestern province of Xinjiang.

Aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht, a specialist on Chinese military aircraft who has published multiple books on the topic, told the Daily Mail Malan has become China's most important testing center for drones of all kinds.

Rupprecht and other experts looking at satellite images taken of the base have concluded that the giant, flying-wing design seen at the facility was the WZ-X, a twin-engine drone believed to be capable of reaching any city in the US.

The so-called 'Monster of Malan' is expected to be used by the Chinese Air Force for high-altitude, long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (HALE ISR). It is believed to have a range of 12,000 miles, at heights over 60,000 feet.

However, what concerned Rupprecht even more was the fact that this unmanned stealth aircraft was already taking test flights – something defense contractors for the next generation of US aircraft say is still up to two years away.

Rupprecht warned: 'China already has at least six CCAs [Collaborative Combat Aircraft] in testing - not just in one to two years. At least two of them are significantly larger, heavier, use much more powerful engines and are likely also carrying more armament and sensors.'

While Malan has become China's main testing site for experimental aircraft, just like the infamous US base in the Nevada desert, Rupprecht revealed that even more terrifying weapons systems were being readied for use at five secret bases scattered throughout the communist nation.

The giant craft seen in satellite pictures of Malan Air Base in China is believed to be the WZ-X, a drone capable of reaching any US city

China's secret drone base has been compared to Area 51 (Pictured), located at the Nevada Test and Training Range

'The PLAAF [People's Liberation Army Air Force] is now evidently developing another state-of-the-art, specialized base at Lop Nur, in addition to its existing test sites – Yanliang (CFTE), followed by Dingxin, Malan and Cangzhou,' Rupprecht detailed.

Lop Nur sits in a remote desert east of Korla in the province of Xinjiang. The base has already been linked to secret nuclear testing in 2020 as the US believes Lop Nur plays a major role in the building of China's growing nuclear arsenal. It was also where China detonated its first nuclear bomb in October 1964.

As the base now expands its operations, potentially also adding drone development as well, Rupprecht revealed that China's state-of-the-art military warplanes were believed to be training here, alongside combat drone prototypes which would act like robot wingmen.

'Testing in Lop Nur or Dingxin is already being conducted with the J-20 and there are many indications it's also already being conducted with the J-36 [and] J-XDS.'

Dingxin is believed to be China's big tactics and training base in the Gobi Desert in northwest China's Gansu province.

Yanliang Chinese Flight Test Establishment is allegedly the nation's main factory flight-test center in Shaanxi province, while Cangzhou Air Base near Beijing serves as a flight test and training base for the PLAAF.

As for Malan, satellite photos dating back to 2022 have shown that the base has undergone a massive expansion, adding new hangars, runways and other buildings likely connected to the building of large spy planes like the WZ-X and its armed counterpart, the GJ-X.

These alleged programs have sparked concerning comparisons to America's Area 51, which the US intelligence community admitted was real and not just a myth in 2013.

Multiple drones and experimental aircraft have been seen at the Chinese testing facility known as Malan Air Base

Rupprecht did not consider Malan to be the 'super secret' base that Area 51 has been over the years, noting that its intentionally hard-to-reach location was the main reason so little is known about what happens there.

'Malan is the PLAAF's test center for drones of all kinds,' he said, adding that it serves as the home for China's 180th Air Brigade and 178th unmanned aerial vehicle brigade, the country's most important operational brigade for drones.

'The fact that the WZ-X is already there is a clear indication of its importance and function, and [it's] actually quite surprising, as no basic testing had previously been observed anywhere else.'

The WZ-X is estimated to be the same size as an American B-2 stealth bomber, a plane which can carry both nuclear weapons and more conventional 'bunker buster' bombs.

Although Rupprecht does not believe this massive spy plane will carry any weapons on its long-range missions, he warned that the GJ-X would have weapons, and may serve as a robot companion for Chinese fighter aircraft.

'The GJ-X - which is also currently being tested in Malan - is a genuine combat drone, which may even accompany the H-20 as a CCA, just as the J-36 and J-XDS is guiding the CCAs, unveiled at the parade in September 2025. Other drones, such as the Navy's GJ-11 and GJ-21, are most certainly armed.'

Despite the massive military buildup at Malan and the other facilities, Rupprecht cautioned that there were no signs that a major conflict was about to erupt.

Instead, he noted that the rapid advancement in Chinese military breakthroughs was the real worry for both the US and its allies in NATO in the future.

'What we certainly ought to be concerned about is what is being tested there,' he said.

The Lop Nur base (pictured) sits in a remote desert east of Korla in the province of Xinjiang

Satellite images have spotted a giant, unmanned aircraft called the WZ-X being developed and test flown at a secret Chinese military facility

Another large drone, called the GJ-X, is believed to carry weapons and reach targets thousands of miles away from China

Andreas Rupprecht is an aviation researcher who has specialized on Chinese military aircraft and published multiple books on the topic

Rupprecht pushed back on the messaging coming from US defense giants, such as Lockheed Martin, who recently unveiled their own version of a remote-controlled stealth plane expected to fight alongside military pilots.

On September 14, Lockheed revealed the unmanned combat drone called Vectis, a tailless, flying-wing design with enhanced stealth abilities and weapons payloads.

However, the full-size drone was just a model, shown at a major US Air Force conference in Washington. 

The first full-scale prototype is expected to be delivered to the military by the end of 2027.

The defense expert claimed Lockheed's representative at last year's conference gave a speech saying 'we are the greatest,' 'we are leading by a wide margin,' 'no one comes close, even in the next few years,' but then ended the presentation by admitting 'in one or two years it will fly!'

Lockheed Martin revealed the new aircraft at a major Air Force conference in Washington

Sightings from China's Malan Air Base in the ghobi desert have given cause for concern

'After that grandiose presentation, I wandered over to [Lockheed Martin's] booth, asked for information here and there about the engine, dimensions, range, payload  and so on,' Rupprecht recalled.

'It quickly became clear that it's significantly smaller, has a less powerful engine, and falls short in range, payload, sensor systems, and so on, compared to what we'd expect from at least the newly revealed Chinese CCAs.'

On top of China's apparent lead in the arms race to build next generation drones, the expert noted that America's futuristic fighter plane, the F-47, is also still in the research and development phase.

'I therefore consider the statement in the presentation to be somewhat risky, if not downright incorrect!'

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Area 51 mystery deepens as discovery exposes who is really behind secret flights

• MORE: Experts send chilling warning over 'China's Area 51' after mysterious sightings at top-secret desert base: 'We ought to be concerned'
  

By CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR

One person may soon get the opportunity to go where no conspiracy theorist has gone before - Area 51.

A job posting online has been spotted by eagle-eyed viewers who claim the position is directly tied to the US government flights which bring supplies and military personnel to the top-secret base in the Nevada desert.

The 'help wanted' ad was posted by Amentum, a government contractor which provides technical and support work for the US military, who is searching for a first officer and co-pilot based in Las Vegas.

Amentum is believed to be the company which holds the current government contract to crew and operate the flights which regularly travel between Area 51 and Harry Reid International Airport, roughly 85 miles away.

Although the US Air Force has not publicly confirmed that Amentum operates the top-secret jets, known as the Janet fleet, aviation news outlets have identified Amentum as the current contractor flying the Air Force’s unmarked Las Vegas-based 737 shuttle.

That shuttle has been publicly documented as carrying military, government and contractor personnel to restricted sites, including Area 51.

Moreover, the new job post matched previous Las Vegas pilot jobs for the 737-600 jet, which requires a top-secret government clearance.

While the Pentagon and the White House have both maintained that there is no evidence UFOs have ever been recovered, Area 51 has become an infamous location where many believe top-secret research tied to extraterrestrials has been taking place for decades.

The Janet, designed by Boeing, is a white jet with a single red strip from front to back. The fleet flies contractor employees and military personnel to secure bases housing classified material

Area 51, an area of more than 2.9 million acres, is located at the Nevada Test and Training Range

For alien conspiracy theorists looking to finally get a glimpse of the secret facility, the checklist to qualify for the airline job will not be easy to meet.

On job-posting website Indeed, Amentum requires applicants to have an Airline Transport Pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, with a rating to fly 737 jets.

The new co-pilot must also have around 1,500 hours of in-seat flight experience, an active US Department of War Top Secret (SCI) clearance and a current Las Vegas airport badge to fly out of Harry Reid International.

For the pilot chosen, they will be paid $52.11 an hour under a union contract. However, the listing does not say anything about the mysterious Janet fleet or any of the job's destinations - including Area 51.

The listing also warned that the co-pilot: 'May be subjected to physical and mental stress caused by in-flight emergencies, inclement weather, exposure to high levels of noise, vibration/turbulence or other environmental discomforts, and visual/audio/tactile sensory bombardment.'

There is also no guarantee that the person chosen for this assignment will ever see the inside of Area 51, as Amentum added the job: 'is performed primarily in the cockpit of a jet aircraft, which is a small, cramped space subject to high noise levels, extreme temperatures, and low humidity.'

Area 51 sits on the Nevada Test and Training Range, a military location that dates back to World War II. UFO researchers and conspiracy theorists have claimed that secret government projects have been conducted there since the end of the war.

Government whistleblowers and UFO researchers have also claimed to have seen and photographed unidentified objects flying over Area 51 for decades, including many which do not look like normal aircraft or behave like human-made technology.

A job listing has been connected to the secret Air Force Janet fleet which flies to the top-secret base Area 51

UFO enthusiasts have been fixated on Area 51 (Pictured) and entering the secret base for years in the hopes of finding extraterrestrial life inside

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