Here is the relevant portion of the article mentioned by John Lear in the ParaNet.Alpha Ufology message section of 1/16/88.It is excerpted from the Feb. 88 issue of "GUNG-HO" (Chinese for "work together"). It bills itself as, "The Magazine for the International Military Man". The article is entitled, "Stealth and Beyond". "Al Frickey" writes it, believed to be a pseudonym in order to protect his identity.

Stealth - And Beyond - A look at Aurora and Some "Unfunded Opportunities" (UFO)

During this article, the Mach 3-plus (2,000 mph), SR-71 Blackbird has been referred to for comparison several times. The SR first flew about 25 years ago. Twenty years or so before that, the hottest thing in the air was the 450 mph P-51 Mustang. Today, there is Aurora, the code name given to a methane-powered, hypersonic, strategic-reconnaissance aircraft capable of Mach 7 (5,000-mph) speed in the 250,000-foot regime. Aurora has a three-man crew and has been operational since the mid-1980s, after a testing period in the Nellis Range. It is refuelled after conventional takeoff by a specially rigged KC-135Q tanker jet, and can fly from Nellis to Kadena Air Force Base in Japan in less than two and a half hours. Aurora first came to public attention in 1985, when an unclassified procurement document disclosed its existence. Disclosure heightened speculation that the system was a stealth fighter or bomber, and program managers were happy to play along. Aurora’s budget increase from $80 million in FY 86 to $2.3 billion in FY 87 was unprecedented, given that: (a) black-project budget figures are normally withheld; and (b) $80 million is very little for development, and $2.3 billion is a lot for operations. As for "Unfunded Opportunities," these are programs dealing with technology levels so advanced that one Air Force officer involved in SR-71 development said: "We are flight-testing vehicles that defy description. To compare them conceptually to the SR-71 would be like comparing Leonardo da Vinci’s parachute design to the space shuttle." Other officers are similarly emphatic about the nature of these new systems. "We have things that are so far beyond the comprehension of the average aviation authority as to be really alien to our way of thinking," says one retired colonel. Rumour has it some of these systems involve force-field technology, gravity-drive systems, and "flying saucer" designs. Rumour further has it that these designs are not necessarily of Earth human origin - but of who might have designed them or helped us to do it, there is less talk. "Let’s just put it this way," explained one retired Lockheed engineer. "We have things flying in the Nevada desert that would make George Lucas drool." (Editor’s note and conclusion: The Air Force has had a unit at Nellis for several years; its name: Alien Technology Center. The first question is, do you think they are studying Mexicans? The center is rumoured to have obtained alien (not earth) equipment and, at times personnel to help develop our new aircraft star wars weaponry, etc. Yes, I know I sound crazy, but the rumour is awfully solid! The Alien Technology Center is for real. Something remarkable has caused the Russians to suddenly want to play ball, and I personally believe this could be it. Sure, it sounds strange, but the most advanced known airplane in today’s world (SR-71) was secretly flying in 1963-64. Do you really think our best, 23 years later, is the F-16?)

END Opportunities (UFO)