A nighttime thermal picture captured throughout flight exercise involving a B-2 Spirit exhibits a sharply triangular plane that resembles an unexplained platform photographed over Wichita in 2014.
Anders Otteson, the person behind the favored Uncanny Expeditions YouTube channel (that we’ve featured earlier than right here at The Aviationist), noticed one thing significantly intriguing throughout his newest journey to the Groom Lake space. Whereas tenting alongside Groom Lake Highway and monitoring nighttime flight exercise, early on Jan. 14, 2026, Otteson captured thermal imagery of a sharply triangular, “Dorito-shaped” plane working within the restricted airspace surrounding Space 51. “Dorito” is a nickname generally utilized by observers to explain an plane with a sharply triangular form.
Otteson will not be an off-the-cuff observer. A videographer, explorer, and content material creator, he routinely units up camp in distant and unlikely places with the particular purpose of documenting exercise not often seen by the general public. His epic expeditions into the deserts surrounding Groom Lake and different labeled websites mix lengthy nights within the discipline with thermal imaging tools, optical sensors, and scanner monitoring, providing a singular perspective on flight exercise related to stealth plane and black packages.
Nevertheless, the newest sighting is much more fascinating than normal, because the plane he noticed flying at night time over Nevada bears a hanging resemblance to the now considerably well-known triangular plane photographed in daylight over Wichita, Kansas, in 2014, a picture that, as our evaluation on the time confirmed, gave the impression to be reliable and unaltered.
In actual fact, as our readers could bear in mind, in 2014 we reported about an plane with a distinctly triangular planform was photographed in broad daylight over Wichita, Kansas. The picture, captured by a neighborhood observer, confirmed a big, darkish, flying wing-like plane with proportions that didn’t correspond to any recognized operational kind. On the time, we famous that Wichita’s proximity to main plane manufacturing and testing services, mixed with the then-recent tensions with Russia following the invasion of Crimea, made the sighting significantly intriguing.
Noteworthy, though it had been taken in February 2014, the picture of the mysterious triangular plane over Wichita was launched in April 2014, roughly one month after one other intruguing sighting: on Mar. 10, 2014 Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett took some pictures of three mysterious planes flying at very excessive altitude over Amarillo, Texas. The pictures of the three plane confirmed what regarded like an nearly boomerang-shaped airplane, geared up with two engines (or at the very least two exhaust nozzles), bearing some resemblance, though not similar, to the plane noticed over Kansas.
Each time a brand new plane is unveiled, I can’t assist however assume again to the mysterious sightings over Wichita and Amarillo in 2014 (Story right here: Now, with the primary rendering of the F-47 unveiled and affirmation that it has been flying for 5 years, one… pic.twitter.com/C2Rl0wSsVX
— David Cenciotti (@cencio4) March 21, 2025
Regardless of years of hypothesis, no official clarification was ever provided, and the plane over Wichita was by no means publicly recognized nor seen once more. What makes the latest Space 51 sighting noteworthy is how intently the thermal picture aligns with that earlier {photograph}, regardless of being captured greater than a decade later, beneath utterly completely different situations, and with a wholly completely different sensor.
“I used to be tenting close to Groom Lake Rd, the street resulting in the entrance gate to Space 51,” Anders informed us in a message. “I heard what appeared like a number of plane within the valley. There have been no seen lights so I started scanning across the sky for some time with a thermal imager. Ultimately a B-2 handed overhead, and I then noticed a second contrail above the ridge line close to groom lake however it was out of vary to get a transparent image of it. I moved down the street a bit, nearer to the bottom and scanned the sky once more, getting fortunate and touchdown on this plane. The trailing edge instantly regarded completely different than the B-2, during which the distinctive jagged trailing edge was seen.”
Whereas the picture, captured with an AGM TM50-640 thermographic digital camera, could also be affected by distance-related distortion, the form of the “Dorito” seems markedly completely different from that of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, suggesting it was a very completely different kind. Even permitting for some distortion, the planform nonetheless seems triangular. Furthermore, Otteson was in a position to immediately evaluate the thing with a B-2 noticed earlier the identical night time, noting clear variations in each planform and thermal signature. Nonetheless, as Anders identified to us, there could also be sure situations the place a B-2 or different blended wing plane would possibly appear to be it had a flat trailing edge so clearly we are able to’t 100% rule that out. “Although, on condition that I do know there have been different plane working within the airspace I consider it to have been distinct,” he added.
The context of the sighting can be fascinating.
As talked about, the Dorito was noticed as a B-2 was working within the neighborhood, utilizing callsign REARM71. The Spirit operated within the space for about 4 hours earlier than returning to Whiteman Air Pressure Base, Missouri. The audio file might be discovered right here.
The sighting itself was later mentioned throughout a YouTube livestream hosted by Joerg Arnu of Dreamland Resort, the place Otteson walked viewers by how the footage was obtained. A component that stood out in the course of the dialogue was the radio visitors captured that night time. In line with Arnu, the scanner audio featured an unusually excessive variety of codewords, a lot of them seemingly mundane and even playful, with references to snacks, drinks, and on a regular basis objects (Corona, Pretzel, Garlic, Mustard, Michelob, to call however few). Whereas such lingo would possibly sound odd to informal listeners, it’s not unusual for army crews to depend on innocuous-sounding terminology to masks the character of an operation, significantly throughout delicate or actual operations, in addition to workout routines.
What made this occasion notable was not the mere presence of codewords, however their density and context. The visitors coincided with confirmed exercise involving a B-2 Spirit and appeared to help a extra advanced situation than a routine coaching sortie. Each Arnu and Otteson famous that a number of the terminology used was unfamiliar even to seasoned listeners, suggesting both a specialised take a look at profile or a intentionally obfuscated communications plan. Arnu mentioned the operations noticed the involvement Sabre callsigns, normally by plane launched from Space 51/Groom Lake airfield.
On the identical time, it was additionally clear that no matter plane produced the triangular thermal signature was not collaborating brazenly within the radio exchanges. As mentioned in the course of the livestream, high-value or delicate take a look at property could be anticipated to rely totally on safe or data-linked communications, leaving supporting plane, on this case the B-2, to deal with overt coordination over clear channels accessible to scanners. In that case, the oddly coded chatter could have been a part of a deliberate effort to handle the airspace and supporting parts whereas conserving the first asset successfully invisible from a communications standpoint.
In the course of the livestream, Arnu additionally floated a attainable clarification for the exercise that night time, stressing that it was an informed guess moderately than a conclusion. Given the presence of a clearly identifiable B-2 Spirit working in the identical airspace, alongside a second plane that remained visually and electronically elusive, he urged the situation may very well be in keeping with some type of radar cross-section comparability or “fly-off” take a look at. In such circumstances, a recognized low-observable platform might function a reference whereas one other asset is evaluated beneath related situations. Each Arnu and Otteson have been cautious to notice that there isn’t a direct proof confirming this, and that extremely delicate take a look at plane could be anticipated to depend on safe communications, leaving little to no hint on open radio channels.
We won’t speculate about its function, designation, whether or not it’s manned or unmanned, or its efficiency. The one level price making right here, and essentially the most fascinating facet for us, is that the brand new picture appears to recommend that the mysterious plane first noticed in 2014 should still be flying 12 years later. In that case, it might additional verify that some plane stay in operation for many years earlier than their existence turns into publicly recognized.
I strongly recommend our readers take a look at the Uncanny Expeditions YouTube channel to look at the complete video, set to be launched on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, which offers precious context for the night time’s exercise and exhibits the “Dorito” in motion. Ensure you additionally comply with Anders on Instagram right here.
