‘Reverse engineered from UFOs’: Does US military have a triangular aircraft with anti-gravity technology called ‘TR-3B Black Manta’? Here’s the truth

A mysterious triangular aircraft-like object spotted in Iran’s skies has triggered fresh speculation online about the alleged US military aircraft known as the TR-3B Black Manta.

Objects featuring bright, multi-coloured lights were reportedly observed over Tehran and Zahedan on September 20 and 21. Videos circulating online have prompted claims that the sightings could be evidence of a secret US aircraft capable of advanced or even anti-gravity flight.

However, there is no credible evidence that the TR-3B Black Manta exists, let alone that it uses anti-gravity technology or was reverse-engineered from extraterrestrial spacecraft.

What was spotted over Iran?

One video circulating online reportedly showed a large, crescent- or triangular-shaped object with bright lights over Tehran, including the area near the Azadegan Expressway. Another video showed a cluster of lights moving across the night sky over Zahedan.

The footage quickly triggered speculation on social media that the objects could be the alleged TR-3B.

One X user claimed: “Military Leaks Terrify the World: The Era of Missiles and Jet Engines Is Over Forever! The mysterious U.S. TR-3B Black Manta aircraft, recently spotted in the skies over Argentina and Iran, ignites the biggest technological and military controversy in history: It was developed through direct ‘reverse engineering’ from crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft (UFOs)! No fuel combustion, no sound, and maneuvers that shatter every law of conventional physics... Welcome to the age of anti-gravity and secret weapons!”


Another X user made a similar claim, writing that the alleged US-made TR-3B Black Manta had been seen in Argentina and Iran and was developed through reverse engineering of crashed UFOs.

There is, however, no publicly verified evidence supporting these claims.

What is the TR-3B Black Manta?

The TR-3B Black Manta is the name given online to an alleged secret US military aircraft. It is often described as a large triangular platform equipped with an advanced propulsion system that supposedly uses anti-gravity technology.

Claims surrounding the aircraft have circulated for years, but the US government and military have never publicly confirmed that a vehicle called the TR-3B exists.

There is also no reliable evidence that the aircraft was developed by reverse-engineering extraterrestrial spacecraft.

The idea appears to be part of a long-running body of UFO and secret-aircraft speculation that has spread across the internet.

Why do people believe the aircraft could exist?

Part of the speculation stems from the fact that the US military has operated highly classified aircraft that remained secret for years.

The F-117 Nighthawk, for example, was developed as a stealth aircraft under a highly classified programme. Although reports and sightings circulated before its existence was officially acknowledged, the US government publicly unveiled the aircraft in 1988.

The history of classified aviation programmes has therefore provided fuel for speculation that other undisclosed aircraft could also exist.

But the existence of secret military aircraft does not, by itself, establish the existence of the TR-3B or an anti-gravity aircraft.

What about Donald Trump’s ‘weapons nobody has seen’ comment?

The Black Manta theory gained additional attention after US President Donald Trump previously said that the US has weapons “that nobody has ever seen before” and that only a select few people know about them.

The comments were interpreted by some social media users as a possible reference to highly advanced or secret military technology.

However, there is no evidence that Trump was referring to the alleged TR-3B or an anti-gravity aircraft.

A 2021 image also fueled the Black Manta theory

Speculation surrounding the alleged aircraft has circulated for years.

In 2021, Iranian media published an image purportedly showing a triangular-shaped object near a US aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. The image was subsequently cited online as possible evidence of the alleged Black Manta.

But such images and sightings have not provided independent confirmation that the aircraft exists.

The 1976 Tehran UFO incident

The latest reports have also drawn comparisons with one of the best-known UFO incidents in Iran.

On September 19, 1976, Iranian authorities reported seeing a bright unidentified object over Tehran. Two F-4 Phantom fighter jets were reportedly dispatched to investigate.

The incident became a prominent case in UFO literature, although the object was never conclusively identified as extraterrestrial or as a secret military aircraft.

What does the latest footage actually prove?

The objects seen in the recent footage over Tehran and Zahedan have not been independently identified as the TR-3B Black Manta. There is also no publicly available evidence confirming that the aircraft itself exists.

A fact-check attributed to Grok noted that at least one widely shared video was actually old footage from the YouTube channel Alien Planet, with a copyright notice visible at the end, rather than a recent recording from Argentina or Iran.

The same assessment concluded that the TR-3B remains an unconfirmed claim about an alleged secret US anti-gravity aircraft, with no official proof of its existence.