On August 20, 2025, a rare event unfolded high above the Nevada desert that has reignited decades-old intrigue and speculation about the United States’ most secretive military base. From the summit of Tikaboo Peak, 26 miles away from the infamous Groom Lake facility—better known to the world as Area 51—aviation enthusiast and photographer Michael Rokita captured clear, if distant, footage of the U.S. Air Force’s top-secret RAT55 jet executing touch-and-go maneuvers and ultimately landing on runway 32. This sighting, confirmed by multiple sources including the Daily Mail, has provided the strongest visual evidence yet tying this enigmatic aircraft to the heart of America’s classified aerospace research.
Rokita’s feat was no easy task. Braving the desert’s sweltering heat and technical hurdles like a dying camera battery, he employed a Nikon P1000 and a custom binocular-smartphone rig to document the aircraft’s movements. According to the Daily Mail, he confirmed that RAT55’s call sign is ‘Saber 98’—a detail that, for aviation sleuths, is a smoking-gun link connecting the jet to Area 51’s secretive operations. Minutes after touchdown, the RAT55 taxied directly into Hangar 18, the largest and most mysterious hangar on the base. Witnesses reported seeing the hangar’s massive sliding doors open, just long enough for the aircraft to disappear inside, before they sealed shut once more.
This moment wasn’t just a thrill for plane spotters; it was a revelation for anyone fascinated by the shadowy world of military aviation. The RAT55, a heavily modified Boeing 737-200, is no ordinary jet. Outfitted with a distinctive ‘fat nose,’ a pronounced ‘hump on the top and belly,’ and a ‘big protrusion in the back,’ it serves as a flying radar testbed. Its primary mission, as reported by The Aviationist and Daily Mail, is to probe the radar cross-sections of America’s most advanced stealth aircraft—think the B-2 Spirit bomber, the forthcoming Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, and even experimental prototypes like the Boeing F-47 and the RQ-80 drone.
The RAT55’s in-flight radar cross-section testing is a critical, if little-understood, component of stealth development. By evaluating how these aircraft appear to radar from different angles and under varying conditions, the Air Force can fine-tune their designs to remain invisible—or nearly so—to enemy detection systems. According to the Daily Mail, RAT55 rarely strays from the isolated skies over South-Central California and Southern Nevada, operating mostly within restricted airspace like the R-258 range near Edwards Air Force Base. To maintain secrecy, it often turns off its transponder, effectively vanishing from civilian flight tracking systems.
Of course, it’s not just the technical details that have captured the public’s imagination. The RAT55’s association with Hangar 18 at Area 51 instantly stokes the fires of conspiracy and speculation. Hangar 18 itself is the stuff of legend—constructed in the 1980s and towering over the base, it’s large enough to accommodate any aircraft in the U.S. arsenal. Over the years, it’s been rumored to house everything from retired experimental jets to, depending on who you ask, recovered alien technology. As Daily Mail notes, the hangar’s mystique is only heightened by its role as a backdrop for the RAT55’s latest appearance.
Rokita’s recent footage isn’t the first time RAT55 has been spotted, but it may be the most significant. In May 2025, photographer Julian Elnasser caught sight of the jet flying in formation with a B-2 Spirit over Death Valley. Elnasser recounted to The Aviationist: “I was staying in Las Vegas and saw it was out flying from Groom towards the R-2508. So I decided to try my luck and hurry on out to Death Valley near Furnace Creek. Approaching the town, I saw the two and immediately pulled over; they were pretty low. After the first pass, I moved closer to the valley itself and observed two more passes before they [returned to base].”
What’s so vital about these sightings? For one, they confirm that the RAT55 is actively involved in stealth aircraft testing at the very facility long rumored to be the epicenter of America’s most secretive aerospace programs. The jet’s presence at Area 51, and especially its taxiing into Hangar 18, provides rare, tangible evidence that the base remains a hub for cutting-edge research. As Daily Mail highlights, the RAT55’s role as a radar testbed is believed to have supported the development of the RQ-80 unmanned aerial vehicle—a program about which little is publicly known but is thought to be at the forefront of drone stealth technology.
The recent sighting also comes at a time when at least two major manned stealth programs—the B-21 Raider and Boeing F-47—are in the works. The RAT55’s specialized capabilities are likely in high demand, as the U.S. seeks to maintain its technological edge in an increasingly contested global environment. According to The Aviationist, the jet’s rare excursions outside its usual haunts, such as its May flight over Death Valley, only underscore its importance within the Air Force’s secretive arsenal.
But for many, the technical marvels are just one side of the story. The other is the enduring allure of Area 51 itself. For decades, the base was officially non-existent; it wasn’t until 2013 that the U.S. government finally acknowledged its existence. Since then, it’s been the subject of countless rumors, documentaries, and even pop-culture phenomena. Stories of crashed UFOs, alien autopsies, and black-budget aircraft abound—fueled in no small part by sightings like this one. As Daily Mail puts it, “RAT 55 hardly ever leaves Nevada, but spotting it roll into the infamous Hangar 18 just stokes decades of alien and black-budget rumors.”
Even those who’ve accidentally stumbled onto the base have tales to tell. Back in 1996, cultural researcher Jerry Freeman wandered into a restricted corner of Area 51 while searching for lost Gold Rush journals. He later told UFO researcher George Knapp, “It looked like a dry lake bed to me, nothing else, but at night it was a different story. I could clearly see what were security lights on the perimeters and I could see lights that opened and closed near the center of the lake.” Freeman described feeling the ground rumble beneath him—a sure sign, he believed, that something top-secret was being tested.
With each new sighting, the legend of Area 51 and its mysterious inhabitants only grows. For now, the RAT55 remains as elusive as ever, its missions cloaked in secrecy and its true purpose known only to a select few. But thanks to the determination of enthusiasts like Rokita and Elnasser, the public gets occasional glimpses—however fleeting—into the secret world above the Nevada desert.
Whatever goes on behind the doors of Hangar 18, one thing is clear: the skies over Area 51 still hold secrets, and the hunt for answers is far from over.
