Editing Aurora (aircraft) (section)

===Additional claims===
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By 1996, reports associated with the Aurora name dropped off in frequency, suggesting to people who believed that the aircraft existed that it had only ever been a prototype or that it had had a short service life.<ref name= asw />

In 2000, ''[[The Press and Journal (Scotland)|Aberdeen Press and Journal]]'' writer Nic Outterside wrote a piece on US stealth technology in Scotland. Citing confidential "sources", he alleged [[RAF Machrihanish|RAF/USAF Machrihanish]] in Kintyre, Argyll to be a base for Aurora aircraft. Machrihanish's almost {{convert |2|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} long runway makes it suitable for high-altitude and experimental aircraft with the fenced-off coastal approach making it ideal for takeoffs and landings to be made well away from eyes or cameras of press and public.  "Oceanic Air Traffic Control at Prestwick," Outterside says, "also tracked fast-moving radar blips. It was claimed by staff that a 'hypersonic jet was the only rational conclusion' for the readings."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2002/04/27889.html |title= Latest U.S. Stealth Technology Moves to Western Scotland |publisher= Indy media |access-date= 4 December 2014 |archive-date= 27 November 2003 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20031127023432/http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2002/04/27889.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

In 2006, aviation writer Bill Sweetman put together 20 years of examining budget "holes", unexplained sonic booms, as well as the Gibson sighting and concluded:

{{Blockquote |This evidence helps establish the program's initial existence. My investigations continue to turn up evidence that suggests current activity. For example, having spent years sifting through military budgets, tracking untraceable dollars and code names, I learned how to sort out where money was going. This year, when I looked at the Air Force operations budget in detail, I found a $9-billion black hole that seems a perfect fit for a project like Aurora.<ref name="secret" />}}

In June 2017, ''Aviation Week'' reported that Rob Weiss, the General Manager of the Skunk Works, provided some confirmation of a research project and stated that [[hypersonic flight]] technology was now mature, and efforts were underway to fly an aircraft with it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviationweek.com/defense/skunk-works-hints-sr-72-demonstrator-progress |title=Skunk Works Hints at SR-72 Demonstrator Progress |work=Aviation Week |access-date=5 September 2017 |archive-date=5 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905054828/http://aviationweek.com/defense/skunk-works-hints-sr-72-demonstrator-progress |url-status=live }}</ref>