Newly released infrared (IR) footage has reignited speculation around a mysterious triangular-shaped aircraft reportedly spotted flying over the Nevada Test and Training Range, home to the highly secretive Area 51, earlier this month.
The sighting was disclosed by aviation researcher Anders Otteson, who runs the YouTube channel Uncanny Expeditions.
The footage appears to have provided the proof that the U.S. has been either testing the sixth-generation F-47 stealth jet or a hypersonic glide vehicle or rapid, long-range strikes, primarily through programs like the Army’s Dark Eagle (LRHW), which uses the Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) for ground launch, and the Air Force’s now-cancelled but influential AGM-183 ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon). These vehicles boost to high altitudes before gliding at speeds over Mach 5, maneuvering to evade defenses, offering a significant leap in strike capability against time-sensitive targets, with the C-HGB intended for both Army (LRHW) and Navy (CPS) use.
Based on footage captured by the infrared camera, either the F-47 was flying at a speed exceeding Mach 3, or the Glide vehicle was flying at a speed exceeding Mach 7.
Otteson said he observed the unusual aircraft on the night of January 14, 2026, while camping near the Groom Lake area to monitor nighttime aerial activity using radio scanners, thermal imaging equipment and optical sensors.
Area 51, officially part of the US Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, is a classified facility long associated with the testing of experimental aircraft and advanced weapons systems.
The base, also known as Homey Airport, operates under the Nellis Air Force Base complex and has historically been linked to programmes such as the U-2 spy plane, as well as decades of secrecy and speculation.
According to Otteson, the aircraft’s triangular profile stood out from known platforms operating in the region.
Thermal images of the object were captured using an AGM TM50-640 infrared camera.
He acknowledged that distance-related distortion could cause misinterpretation, including similarities to the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, but said a direct comparison ruled that out.
Otteson noted that a B-2 Spirit bomber, operating under the call sign REARM71, was active in the area earlier that night for nearly four hours before returning to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
While the purpose of the B-2’s mission was not disclosed, analysts pointed to unusually heavy radio traffic as an indication that the flight involved more than routine training activity.
Crucially, Otteson said the triangular aircraft appeared after the B-2 had already been observed, and that side-by-side thermal imagery showed clear differences between the two aircraft.
He also claimed the unidentified platform did not feature in any radio communications monitored that night.
The sighting has drawn renewed attention because of similar reports from the past.
A triangular aircraft with a comparable profile was photographed over Wichita, Kansas, in February 2014, followed by sightings of three such aircraft in Amarillo, Texas, about a month later.
None of those incidents were ever officially explained, and the aircraft seen in Wichita was never publicly identified again, until now.
Otteson later discussed the footage in a live broadcast with Joerg Arnu of the Dreamland Resort, a long-running source of information on activities around Area 51.
Both stressed that there is no concrete evidence to confirm the nature or purpose of the aircraft observed on January 14, and that their conclusions remain speculative.
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