FOOTAGE SHOWS ‘UFO-LIKE’ AIRCRAFT BEING TESTED AT US WEAPONS BASE ‘SKUNK WORKS’

Real? Fake? Ours? Use your discernment.

For years, this testing facility has been known for housing secret objects due to its history of developing classified technology.
Published: 07:03, 26 Oct 2025

Investigative YouTuber Anders Otteson told The Sun how he camped on public land overlooking defense firm Lockheed Martin’s Helendale radar-testing facility, where he filmed the unknown object.

The footage, shot from a distance, shows what appears to be a dark, wing-shaped object mounted at the top of a white pillar. It was inside the premises of Lockheed Helendale, a facility used by the firm’s secretive Skunk Works division, which is in the middle of a remote desert.

Skunk Works is the official pseudonym of the US defence company’s Advanced Development Programs (ADP) – which develops top secret aircraft and weapons. For years, the testing facility has been known for housing secret objects due to its history of developing classified, high-tech aerospace technology.

Some of America’s most groundbreaking and classified aircraft, including the U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, are known to have been developed at this facility. And secrecy surrounding Skunk Works’ projects has fueled public speculation and conspiracy theories that the organisation is involved in reverse-engineering alien technology.

Throughout the clip, the object, which resembles an aircraft fuselage, can be seen floating on top of the pillar as if it were being radar-tested. In one frame, a distinct blue area can be spotted on its upper surface.

Mr Otteson, who runs a YouTube channel to document remote secret sites across the US, said it could be an advanced aircraft technology being tested. Otteson: “It could be something that is in an early stage of development, it could be a new manned fighter or a new drone.

“It could also be a model that is developed specifically for a test… say they’re going to test a new type of paint, or a new particular component.”The investigative YouTuber, who has filmed near classified facilities including the infamous Area 51, also linked the Skunk Works team to alien technology.

A slew of conspiracy theories suggests that many projects at the facility involve reverse-engineering tech whose origins are extraterrestrial. US officials and elected politicians are currently rallying for information about unknown objects flying in US airspace – including one of Trump’s top team, Marco Rubio.

And there have been numerous high-profile hearings on the subject, with suggestions the US has “exotic” technology held under wraps. Mr Otteson said if the US government possesses advanced or “alien” technology, Skunk Works would almost certainly be involved.

“The Hellendale facility also has a massive underground chamber below it that’s 200 feet deep,” he said. “It has spawned a lot of speculation about what other advanced projects might be being worked on in an underground facility like that.

“It is a good place to store advanced technology underground and that is partially why it was built to hide secrets from Soviet espionage.

“Any other kinds of technology that Lockheed may be in possession of, that’d be a place that they could store it, essentially.”

Located northwest of Victorville, Lockheed Martin’s Helendale facility was designed during the Cold War to protect America’s next-generation aircraft from the prying eyes of the Soviets.

The facility is known to have several test pylons, radar arrays, and control stations to test the stealth technology of military aircraft.

Speculations also indicate the unknown object could be America’s SR-72 “Darkstar” – a top-secret US Air Force project that could revolutionise the military aircraft technology.

Dubbed “Son of Blackbird”, it is thought to be the potential answer to a near-perfect plane as it’s set up to be a super-fast, hypersonic high-altitude surveillance aircraft.

It is thought that next-generation aircraft could potentially reach speeds of Mach 6 (4000mph) – doubling its predecessor’s top speed and introducing cutting-edge capabilities for modern combat scenarios.

According to Airforce Technology, the aircraft will be a hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft which will use state-of-the-art aerospace technology for long-range missions.

It will also be capable of hitting targets on any continent within an hour, provided it is equipped with hypersonic missiles, Interesting Engineering reports.

Lockheed Martin announced in 2018 that they are working on the SR-72 project, with a prototype expected to fly very soon.

The US Air Force and the Pentagon have never officially confirmed or denied the existence of the craft.

Remember Trumps "Space Force"...whatever happened to that. He rolled it out during his first term and that is that last I heard of it. - JC