Triangle UFO
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Black triangles are
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
s reported as having a triangular shape and dark color, typically observed at night, described as large, silent, hovering, moving slowly, and displaying pulsating, colored lights which they can turn off.


British sightings and UK Ministry of Defence Report

A declassified report from the
UK Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...
, addressing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) within the UK Air Defence Region and code named
Project Condign Project Condign (not to be confused with the Condon Committee) was a secret unidentified flying object (UFO) study undertaken by the British Government's Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) between 1997 and 2000.Simpson, Mark (2006-05-07)UFO study ...
, includes analyses of black triangle sightings. The report includes the statement that "the majority, if not all, of the hitherto unexplained reports may well be due to atmospheric gaseous electrically charged buoyant plasmas" that are "capable of being transported at enormous speeds under the influence and balance of electrical charges in the atmosphere." The report also notes that "at least some" of the black triangle observations likely arise from meteor entry into the atmosphere. Regarding the triangular shapes, the report also states: "Occasionally ... it seems that a field with, as yet, undetermined characteristics, can exist between certain charged buoyant objects in loose formation, such that, depending on the viewing aspect, the intervening space between them forms an area (viewed as a shape, often triangular) from which the reflection of light does not occur. This is a key finding in the attribution of what have frequently been reported as black 'craft,' often triangular and even up to hundreds of feet in length." A recommendation in the report is that no attempt be made on the part of aircraft to intercept or outmaneuver these objects, and instead to place them astern to mitigate the risk of collision. The report also speculates that the hypothesized plasma formations, through their "magnetic, electric or electromagnetic" fields, could have the potential to induce in observers vivid, but mainly incorrect, perceptions. The Project Condign report was not peer-reviewed, and some authors doubt its scientific veracity.


Other sightings


1980s Hudson Valley sightings

During the early 1980s, several hundred people claimed to have witnessed UFOs flying over, or near to, the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
in New York state. These sightings involved hovering or slowly flying V-shaped objects rimmed with colorful lights. Several pilots claimed responsibility for these UFOs, reporting that the objects, some tracked to a local airport and parking lot, were
ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...
flown in formation.


1989–1992 Belgian wave

The Belgian UFO wave began in November 1989. The events of 29 November were documented by over thirty different groups of witnesses and three separate groups of police officers. All of the reports related to a large object flying at a low altitude. The craft was flat and triangular, with lights underneath. This giant craft did not make a sound as it slowly moved across the landscape of Belgium. ''The Belgian UFO Wave of 1989–1992 – A Neglected Hypothesis'' discusses some sightings that helicopters can explain. Most witnesses reported that the objects were silent. This report argues that the lack of noise could be due to the engine noise in the witnesses' automobiles or the strong natural wind blowing away from the witnesses. Black triangle UFOs have been claimed to be visible to radar. During the 1989–1990
Belgian UFO wave The Belgian UFO wave was a series of sightings of triangular UFOs in Belgium, which lasted from 29 November 1989 to April 1990. The sightings The Belgian UFO wave began in November 1989. Reports were filed, most many weeks after the events. Man ...
, two
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...
F-16s The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...
attempted to intercept an object detected by radar, but the pilots did not report seeing an object. This entire Belgian UFO wave, however, has been disputed by skeptics.


1997 Phoenix Lights incident

A widely reported appearance(s) of black triangles involved the "Phoenix Lights" events, during which multiple unidentified objects were observed near
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
and videotaped by both the local media and residents beginning on Thursday, March 13, 1997. Some observed objects/lights appeared to be grouped in a large "V" formation that lingered for several minutes. Some residents reported one of the black triangles to be over a mile wide and that it drifted slowly over their houses, blocking out the night sky's stars. An official report from the US Air Force concluded that the military had been locally testing aircraft-launched flares during that period.


2000 Southern Illinois incident

The "St. Clair Triangle", "UFO Over Illinois", "Southern Illinois UFO", or "Highland, Illinois UFO" sighting occurred on January 5, 2000 over the towns of
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
, Dupo,
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
, Shiloh, Summerfield, Millstadt, and O'Fallon, Illinois, beginning shortly after 4:00 am. The incident was featured in several television shows including ''Seeing is Believing'', a
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
special ''UFOs Over Illinois'', and an episode of the Syfy series '' Proof Positive''.
Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...
included this incident in the song "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois" from his 2005 album ''Illinois''. The FAA said sighting reports may have been due to an advertising blimp operated in the area by the American Blimp Company.


2004–2006 Tinley Park Lights

Three red lights hovered in a triangular formation were seen by multiple witnesses in
Tinley Park Tinley Park is a village in Cook and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 55,971 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area. History 19th century Modern settlement of the area now known as Ti ...
and
Oak Forest, Illinois Oak Forest is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The city is out south-southwest of downtown Chicago in Bremen Township. Per the 2020 census, the population was 27,478. History Human habitation in Oak Forest began during the ...
, on August 21, 2004, two months later on October 31, 2004, again on October 1, 2005, and once again on October 31, 2006. Some witnesses photographed the lights and captured them on video. According to some ufologists, the video evidence suggests that the lights kept the geometrical shape and moved as if they were attached through a dark object. The incident was examined in a ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...
'' episode on May 18, 2008, and in the episode "Invasion Illinois" of the television series ''
UFO Hunters ''UFO Hunters'' is an American television series that premiered on January 30, 2008, on The History Channel, produced by Motion Picture Production Inc., and ran for three seasons. Jon Alon Walz was the executive producer of the show and was resp ...
'' premiered on
The History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the General Entertainment Content division of The Wa ...
on October 29, 2008.


2008 Stephenville, Texas

Around 8 January 2008, there was a mass sighting in
Stephenville, Texas Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It sits on the North Bosque River, which rises nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. Located in north-central Texas, Stephenville' ...
. In the 2023
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
documentary series ''Encounters'', it is claimed that there were black triangles and inside were what looked like insects or a
praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate ...
.


Military aircraft

Classified military aircraft may be responsible for many black triangle UFO reports. Several such sightings have been reported over
Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is a valley primarily located in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, Kern County, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated ...
, an area of desert in southern California. This stretch of desert draws people interested in potential "black project" aircraft because it is close to several known military research and testing areas, such as
Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, California, Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County and a souther ...
in California and
United States Air Force Plant 42 United States Air Force Plant 42 is a classified aircraft manufacturing plant owned by the United States Air Force in the Antelope Valley, about from downtown Los Angeles. It is also used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ...
. A geographic analysis by the now-inactive
National Institute for Discovery Science The National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci) was a privately financed research organization based in Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, and operated from 1995 to 2004. It was founded in 1995 by real-estate developer Robert Bigelow ...
suggested that black triangles might be U.S. Air Force craft. At least some of the proposed military types may be fictitious. The Northrop TR-3A Black Manta is a speculative
surveillance aircraft Surveillance aircraft are aircraft used for surveillance. They are primarily operated by military forces and government agencies in roles including intelligence gathering, maritime patrol, battlefield and airspace surveillance, observation (e. ...
purported to belong to the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
and to have been developed under a
black project Black project is an informal term used to describe a highly classified, top-secret military or defense project that is not publicly acknowledged by government, military personnel, or contractors. United States and black projects In the United S ...
. It was said to be a subsonic
stealth Stealth may refer to: Military *Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles **Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology ** Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** Ste ...
spy plane with a
flying wing A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blis ...
design. It was alleged to have been used in the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
to provide laser designation for
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is an officially retired American single-seat, subsonic, twin-engined, stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was ...
bombers, for targeting to use with
laser-guided bomb A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly pro ...
s (since the F-117 possesses a laser designator, the reason for both aircraft being utilized is unclear). There is little evidence to support the TR-3's existence; however, it is possible that black triangle UFO reports associated with Black Manta could be a
technology demonstrator A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of sho ...
for a potential new-generation tactical
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...
, and/or that TR-3 refers to a Technical Refresh of an existing program.Pope, Gregory T. Archive link
"America's New Secret Aircraft"
''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
'', Vol. 168, No. 12, December 1991.
Mystery Aircraft: TR-3A
Global Security. (retrieved 28 March 2022)
Geoscientist Ben McGee has identified border patrol drones with infrared anti-collision or identification lights to explain some black triangles.


See also

*
Flying wing A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blis ...


References


Further reading

* "TR-3A Evolved From Classified Prototypes, Based on Tactical Penetrator Concept"
Aviation Week & Space Technology ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...
, June 10, 1991. pp. 20–21 * “Triangular Recon Aircraft May be Supporting F-117A” AW&ST, June 10, 1991. p. 20. William Scott * "America's New Secret Aircraft"
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
, December 1991. pp. 32–35. Gregory T. Pope * "Possible Black Aircraft Seen Flying In Formation with F-117As KC-135s." Aviation Week, March 9, 1992. pp. 66–67 *
Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
, March 1993 * "Stealth Watchers"
Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...
, ''Issue 2.02'' February 1994. Phil Pattonbr>(article)
* NBC Nightly News, August 6, 1997 segment showing U-2 with a triangle on undercarriage (CIA, USAF)


External links

*



{{US reconnaissance aircraft Military UFO aviation incidents Stealth aircraft UFOs by type