Possible UFO in Kansas mystery solved   
   By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow - 1 hr 42 mins ago   
       
   Residents of Cowley County, Kansas caused a sensation last week when they   
   captured video of the military towing a concealed object on a flatbed truck   
   down US Highway 77. It wasn't long before a wave of speculation hit, claiming   
   the object was a UFO.   
       
   Depending on the angle from which you spotted it, the 30 foot-wide mysterious   
   craft appeared to be saucer-shaped. It was so large that local law enforcement   
   had to remove roadside signage so it could pass through. But it was covered in   
   a tightly concealed tarp, making any further examination impossible.   
       
   However, as Gizmodo points out, the craft does not technically meet the   
   definition of UFO. For starters, even if it were an alien craft, the object   
   was not flying. And more important, it's no longer unidentified.   
       
   Local sheriff Don Read announced that the tarp was in fact covering a flying   
   object, but one of decidedly Earthly origins. More specifically, it was a   
   drone aircraft manufactured by Northrop Grumman. After Read's disclosure,   
   Northrop Grumman senior manager of public relations Brooks McKinney stepped   
   forward to provide more details, telling Life's Little Mysteries that the   
   "UFO" is a X-47B unmanned combat drone designed to operate from aircraft   
   carriers. It was headed to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.   
       
   The X-47B unmanned drone (NorthropGrumman.com)   
       
   Drone technology, or Unmanned Systems (UMS) have become so commonplace, that   
   Northrop Grumman has a section dedicated to them on its public website.   
   There's even a page for the X-47B itself.   
       
   "Clearly people are interested in what's going through town. It's unusual to   
   see a shrink-wrapped aircraft, especially one with that shape," McKinney said.   
       
   "We built two for the Navy, they were being tested at Edwards Air Force Base   
   [in California] since March. One is on its way to Maryland, and the other will   
   remain in California."   
       
   And the reason they weren't actually flying the high-tech aircraft was even   
   simpler. "It's difficult to fly an unmanned drone through commercial   
   airspace," McKinney said.   
       
   Finally, the question "What's the matter with Kansas?" can be answered: A   
   painful lack of alien spaceships.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.64   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)