Black projects.
Operationally classified or theorized programs. Active, declassified, theorized, or cancelled.
Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program
Defense Intelligence Agency program funded under a US$22 million congressional appropriation between 2007 and 2012. Prime contract held by Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies. Public disclosure on 16 December 2017 in the New York Times.
Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program
DIA program funded at $22 million to investigate UAP, paranormal phenomena, and exotic propulsion. Contracted to Robert Bigelow's Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS). Focused research on Skinwalker Ranch and produced 38 technical reports on advanced aerospace threats.
All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office
Current official US government office for investigating UAP across all domains — air, sea, space, and subsurface. Established by the National Defense Authorization Act. Responsible for compiling historical UAP program records and coordinating with the intelligence community and Congress.
Aurora
Hypothesized hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft alleged to have been operated from Groom Lake (Area 51) and Beale Air Force Base in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Existence has never been officially acknowledged. Multiple credible sightings of high-altitude pulsed contrails ("doughnuts on a rope") and unidentified sonic booms.
Aurora (Hypersonic Reconnaissance Aircraft)
Alleged Mach 6+ hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft rumored to be a successor to the SR-71. Never officially acknowledged. Consistent sighting reports and credible aviation journalist accounts suggest a real black program exists.
Brilliant Pebbles
A Strategic Defense Initiative concept for a constellation of 4,000 autonomous intercept vehicles in low Earth orbit — small, self-targeting kinetic kill weapons capable of destroying ballistic missiles during boost phase. Developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Lowell Wood and Edward Teller. Cancelled in 1993 when SDI was restructured.
Have Blue
Lockheed Skunk Works demonstrator program for the F-117 Nighthawk. Two prototypes flew at Groom Lake from 1977 to 1979. Both aircraft were lost in flight test. Declassified in 1991.
Majestic 12
Alleged secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials established by President Truman in 1947 to investigate and manage UAP recovery operations following Roswell. Documents purportedly from MJ-12 surfaced in 1984 and remain among the most debated items in UAP research.
Misty (Stealth Reconnaissance Satellite)
A classified US National Reconnaissance Office satellite program reportedly designed to observe targets without being detected by ground-based radar or optical tracking. Amateur astronomers have tracked objects in unusual orbits consistent with described Misty characteristics. The program has been referenced in partially declassified congressional budget documents. The current status is unknown.
MK-ULTRA
Central Intelligence Agency program of human experimentation in mind control, including covert administration of LSD and other psychoactive substances to United States citizens. Confirmed by the 1975 Rockefeller Commission and the 1977 Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (Church Committee).
NERVA
Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application. The most advanced nuclear thermal rocket ever built and tested, NERVA achieved thrust levels and specific impulse far exceeding chemical rockets. Cancelled in 1972 despite successful tests.
Project Blue Book
United States Air Force study of unidentified flying objects from 1952 to 1969. Continuation of Project Sign and Project Grudge. Produced 12,618 case reports of which 701 remained classified as unidentified at the time of closure.
Project Grudge
USAF UFO investigation program that succeeded Project Sign with an explicit debunking mandate. Grudge produced a classified report concluding that UFOs posed no threat to national security and were attributable to misidentifications, hoaxes, or psychological phenomena. The program was replaced by Project Blue Book.
Project Horizon
A 1959 US Army proposal to establish a permanent military outpost on the Moon by 1966, using 147 Saturn rocket launches and a crew of 12. The proposal was superseded by NASA's civilian mandate. Declassified in 2008. Documents reveal plans for lunar artillery, nuclear weapons storage, and perimeter defenses against "hostile" forces.
Project Looking Glass
Alleged program to visualize probable future timelines using reverse-engineered non-human technology. Named after Lewis Carroll. Mentioned by multiple UAP whistleblowers including Bob Lazar and Dan Burisch. Unverified.
Project Mogul
Classified program to detect Soviet nuclear tests using high-altitude balloon-borne acoustic sensors. The government cited a Project Mogul balloon as the official explanation for the 1947 Roswell incident. The project remained classified for over 40 years, which prevented officials from providing explanations at the time of the incident.
Project Moon Dust
A US Air Force program for the recovery of space objects of foreign or unknown origin that have survived atmospheric reentry. Moon Dust teams were stationed globally and activated to retrieve anomalous objects. Declassified documents confirm multiple activations. The distinction between "foreign space debris" and "anomalous objects" in field reporting is not always clear.
Project OXCART
CIA reconnaissance aircraft program that produced the A-12, predecessor to the SR-71 Blackbird. Operated from Groom Lake from 1962 to 1968. Declassified by the CIA in 2007.
Project Serpo
Alleged exchange program between the US government and aliens from the Zeta Reticuli system. Twelve military personnel reportedly travelled to the alien home world aboard a spacecraft in 1965 and returned in 1978. Details were leaked to UFO researchers in 2005 through an anonymous source claiming to be a retired DIA employee.
Project Sign
The first official US Air Force investigation into flying saucers, established in 1947 following the Kenneth Arnold sighting and the Roswell incident. Sign concluded that some UFOs were real and possibly interplanetary in origin — a conclusion that was classified and the project was terminated.
Project Stargate
CIA and DIA program to investigate remote viewing and psychic phenomena for intelligence applications. Ran for 17 years with a $20 million budget. Participants included Ingo Swann, Pat Price, and Joe McMoneagle. Declassified in 1995 following a congressional inquiry.
Project Timber Wind
A classified Strategic Defense Initiative program to develop a nuclear-thermal rocket engine for anti-ballistic missile intercept vehicles. A particle-bed reactor design intended to produce specific impulse of 1,000 seconds — more than twice chemical rockets. Declassified in 1992 following a congressional audit. Engine testing was partially conducted.
Project Twinkle
USAF investigation into the green fireball phenomenon over New Mexico beginning in 1948. Physicist Edward Teller and Los Alamos scientists observed multiple incidents. The project concluded the fireballs were real but could not determine their origin or nature.
TR-3B Astra
Alleged nuclear-powered triangular surveillance aircraft developed under a Special Access Program. Claimed by multiple military and civilian witnesses to have been observed at low altitudes since the early 1990s. The vehicle is described as 200 feet across, using a plasma-filled accelerator ring to reduce mass and resist gravitational forces.
UAP Task Force
Department of Defense task force established August 2020 to detect, analyze, and catalog UAP incidents that could potentially threaten US national security or demonstrate advanced technology. Produced the June 2021 preliminary assessment released to Congress.
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
Unmanned reusable spaceplane operated by the US Air Force and Space Force. Has completed six missions totaling over 3,700 days in orbit. Payload and mission objectives remain classified. Its extended orbital endurance and maneuverability suggest reconnaissance, sensor testing, and possibly on-orbit servicing capabilities.
Zuma
A classified US government satellite launched by SpaceX in January 2018 on a Falcon 9. Official reports state the spacecraft failed to separate from the Falcon 9 upper stage and reentered the atmosphere. SpaceX disputed this. The sponsoring agency, the satellite's purpose, and whether it actually failed remain unknown. No debris was publicly tracked.