BySTACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
Published:08:23 EST, 20 February 2026|Updated:09:24 EST, 20 February 2026
Just hours after PresidentDonald Trumpcalled for the release ofUFOfiles, a top-secret Air Force jet was spotted near Area 51 on Friday morning.
Flight tracking data shows a Boeing 737-600, known as 'Janet,' departing from Harry Reid International Airport,Las Vegas's main airport, at 4.06am PT (7.06am ET).
The jet headed toward the Tonopah Test Range, an area closely linked to Area 51 withinNevada’s Nellis Range Complex. Both highly classified sites are testing secret aircraft and advanced weapons.
Area 51 has long been rumored to host crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft and other mysterious technologies, leading some to speculate that Friday's flight may betied to Trump's announcement.
The president directed Secretary of WarPete Hegsethto release government files related to aliens and UFOs after criticizing former PresidentBarack Obamafor allegedly confirming their existence on a podcast.
'Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War… to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related toalienand extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),' Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday night.
He added that the aim is to release 'any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.'
Area 51 hasfueled decades of speculation, particularly since the Cold War, when its remote desert location and secret operations made it a natural target for UFO rumors.
Source: Drudge Report
