Area 51 'black project' exposed as chilling thermal image captures secret new 'X-plane'

Footage of a mysterious flying object near the military base Area 51 has been shared on social media, sparking theories it could be the next generation of US fighter jets

22:34, 05 Jun 2026

The footage was captured by the Project Fear YouTube channel(Image: Projectfearoffical/Instagram)

A mysterious triangular object has been spotted near Area 51 sparking rumours the US military could be testing a new classified military prototype.

Thermal imaging shows the craft flying close to the location of the infamous Nevada facility. The area has been long associated with America's most top secret aerospace programs. The footage was first shared online on the Project Fear YouTube channel. Described on the channel as a craft the public has never seen before, observers speculated it could be a new brand of highly classified experimental aircrafts, nicknamed X-planes.

Area 51 has reportedly been the testing site for "black projects" such as spy planes and stealth bombers which have remained out of the US publics eye for years.

One theory circulating online has stated the footage could be of the Boeing F-47, the future keystone of the US Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance program.

[Area 51]

The US tested numerous top secret projects at the military base(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Reports claim the prototype jet is currently under development and is expected to be operational for deployment in the early 2030s. However others believe the UFO could be a completely separate aircraft. Currently no official explanation has been given, leading to theories to rage on about what exactly was seen flying by the infamous air base.

Project Fear said the image was captured using a 10-micron thermal scope. One social media user stated: Any unidentified aircraft near Area 51 automatically creates more questions than answers.

In 2013 the CIA declassified a more than 400-page report revealing how the Americans tested their secret spy planes. The report accounted for more than one-half of all UFO reports during the late 1950s and most of the 1960s.

The report stated: High-altitude testing of the U-2 soon led to an unexpected side effect, a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). It added: Once U-2s started flying at altitudes above 60,000 feet, air-traffic controllers began receiving increasing numbers of UFO reports.

The development comes after UFO hunters are said to have made a bombshell discovery at an heavily guarded old UK spy base. RAF base Rudloe Manor, which is now closed to public, is said to be home to all the ET findings in the UK that authorities "don't want us to know about".

[Area 51]

Area 51(Image: Getty)

Based in Wiltshire, Rudloe Manor is a grand stately home built in 1685 and first used as a private country residence. It is commonly referred to as the "UK's Area 51."

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