National Aero-Space Plane contracts (1986)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 7
| Date | April 1986 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Propulsion & physics (topic) |
| People | Ronald Reagan |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 99 |
| Year | 1986 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1986 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
In April 1986 the U.S. National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) program awarded study contracts for the X-30, a planned aircraft that could take off from a runway and fly into orbit using air-breathing scramjet engines. The program was cancelled in 1993 before any vehicle was built.[1][2]
Origins
The concept is thought to have grown from a DARPA project known as "Copper Canyon" in 1982–1985. In his February 1986 State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan called for "a new Orient Express" that could take off from Dulles Airport and reach Tokyo within two hours.[1]
The contracts
In April 1986 McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell International and General Dynamics each won airframe contracts capped at $35 million, while Rocketdyne and Pratt & Whitney each received contracts of up to $175 million for engines. The airframe contractors were to compete, with some eliminated after a year. Funding was shared among NASA, DARPA, the Air Force, the Strategic Defense Initiative Office and the Navy.[1][2]
Difficulties
The program faced huge problems with materials, engines and cost. Defence requirements for a two-person crew made the X-30 larger and heavier than a technology demonstrator needed to be. In 1990 the contractors combined under Rockwell's leadership. In 1992 a McDonnell Douglas fuselage section with an integrated hydrogen tank was tested at 820 °C, shortly before the program was terminated in 1993 amid budget cuts.[1][3]
Legacy
NASP's research fed into later hypersonic projects such as NASA's uncrewed X-43. The testimony includes NASP as part of the background of advanced aerospace programs in the 1980s, which some researchers believe may have masked or been confused with more exotic work, such as the rumoured "Aurora" spy plane. Its history is well documented in NASA technical reports.[1][3][4]
People and topics
- McDonnell Douglas — The aerospace company that ran several quiet studies of UFOs and propulsion.
- Ronald Reagan — 40th U.S. president whose diary and speeches touched on space and alien threats.
- NASA — The U.S. civilian space agency, created in 1958.
On the Timeline
- Aurora budget line (1985) (1985) — Budget papers suggest the Pentagon planned large spending on an 'Aurora' program.
- Wild Weasel UFO detections claim (22 June 1986) — A former contractor tells Vallée Vietnam-era aircraft detected UAP with special equipment.
See every 1986 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Rockwell X-30 — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "Government awards key space-plane contracts", Christian Science Monitor (Apr 1986) · csmonitor.com · archived copy
- NASA technical report on the National Aero-Space Plane (PDF), NTRS · ntrs.nasa.gov · archived copy
- Aurora (aircraft) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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