text: Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett were taking photos at Amarillo when they spotted the contrails of some mystery aircraft. What did they shot flying over Texas? 
   
   The images you can see in this post were taken in the afternoon of Mar. 10, 2014. Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett, along with other fellow photographers were at Amarillo International Airport when they saw the contrails of three high flying aircraft. 
   
   Even though the aircraft were barely visible at distance, the photographers pointed their lenses at the unidentified planes, and took several shots. 
   
   As Douglass recalls in his blog, it was only when they reviewed the images that they noticed that the aircraft were not B-2s as they initially thought: “At one point the aircraft had banked and the trailing edge was quite clear. It wasn’t straight but had a slight curve, the aircraft was almost boomerang shaped.” 
   
   Indeed, an inquiry to Whiteman Air Force Base has ruled out the possibility that a flight of three B-2s was flying over Texas on Mar. 10. 
   
   Stealth expert Bill Sweetman and the rest of the AW&ST team have investigated the mystery aircraft sighting, coming to the conclusion that the photos show something real. 
   
   
   
   Even if its shape loosely resembles that of an X-47B, the mystery aircraft seems to be larger than Navy’s new killer drone. 
   
   Obviously someone will argue that exposing three Black Aircraft in plain daylight is not that smart, especially if you want to keep the project classified. 
   
   Unless, you think the moment has arrived to show some potential resurgent enemy (Russia?) that you have an ace in the hole, as done some 30 years earlier with the F-117. 
   
   Image credit: Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett 
   
   Related articles ||||| It's difficult to determine, but a group of aviation enthusiasts say they caught a glimpse of a mystery aircraft earlier this month flying slowly across the Amarillo, Texas sky. 
   
   "We looked southwest and there they were," Steve Douglass, a journalist and member of the group, told FoxNews.com. "We thought they were B-2s, but when we studied our pictures, we ruled that out." 
   
   Douglass and his group, armed with cameras and binoculars, met on March 10 at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The airport is a perfect venue because it offers expansive views of Texas' big sky and a steady stream of military air traffic. On a good day, the group can see various military jets, and even the elusive F-22 Raptor. 
   
   It was a clear day, and the group was alerted to three aircraft flying across the southwest skies. Douglass estimated that the planes got within 20 miles of the group and they started taking pictures with their 300mm zoom cameras. They looked at the photos, and saw that one appeared to be a silver-grey B-2 bomber. 
   
   The prospects of spotting a B-2 bomber was exciting, and Douglass said he got home to observe his photos when he noticed the aircraft in his picture had a smooth backside. The B-2 bomber has a distinct "W"-shaped back. 
   
   "The trailing edge is wrong," Douglass shouted, according to his March 28 blog post. 
   
   Few items provoke public interest like an unidentified flying object. These stories are often attached to other theories about hidden testing bases or alien life forms. But these images have prompted some interest in the industry. 
   
   "The photos tell us more about what the mysterious stranger isn't than what it is," Bill Sweetman writes in Aviation Week, which first reported on the story. The report said that Douglass picked up some apparently related voice signals, which would indicate the aircraft had a pilot. Editors at Aviation Week reportedly say the images appear to be "something real." 
   
   "If I had to guess, I'd say we took a picture of a stealthy transport aircraft," Douglass said. 
   
   Douglass writes that he reached out to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, which houses B-2s, to see if it flew any planes over Texas on that day and did not get a response. 
   
   Fox News' Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report
target: – Aviation enthusiasts spotted three mystery planes over Amarillo, Texas, earlier this month, and buzzed online about what they had seen, Fox News reports. Initially they thought B-2 Bombers had flown by on the afternoon of March 10, but the aircraft lacked the B-2's W-shaped back. They "loosely resembled" the Navy's new X-47B killer drone, but were too big, The Aviationist reports. Which leaves what, exactly? "If I had to guess, I'd say we took a picture of a stealthy transport aircraft," said one of the enthusiasts, Steve Douglass. He blogs in greater detail, saying the US military may be trotting out new planes (probably piloted) to make its enemies shiver or go broke trying to replicate them. This last happened when the world took note of the Air Force's F-117, and "the Soviet Union went bankrupt" seeking "ways to counter stealth," writes Douglass. "Ask yourself an important question—what's going on in the world right now?" he asks. "Who (has of late) has decided to roll back the clock to the good old days of the Cold War and MAD?" Another analyst looks at "gaps in the USAF's line-up" for answers, noting that the Air Force has sought a "penetrating, stand-in electronic attack" for its strike systems; see that analysis at Aviation Week.