The Hidden Wing - US Air Force UFO Reverse Engineering Programs

Overview

"The Hidden Wing" is an investigative video by UAP Gerb arguing that the U.S. Air Force operates clandestine UAP legacy programs — including crash retrieval, storage, and reverse engineering of non-human technologies — through a layered organizational structure centered on SAFAQ, the Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), and sensitive activities offices including SAF/AHA and SAF/AAZ. The presenter challenges portrayals of the legacy program structure found in the documentary "Age of Disclosure," arguing that simplified organizational narratives were designed to deflect responsibility rather than accurately represent the actual chain of command. The video's central thesis — the so-called Hidden Wing — posits that a secret Air Force program portfolio operates within the test and evaluation infrastructure at the Western Ranges, conducting T&E on recovered non-human vehicles, alien reproduction vehicles, and derivative airframes.

The Hidden Wing Program

The presenter argues that if programs focused on the recovery, storage, exploitation, and derivation of non-human technologies exist within the Air Force, SAFAQ (Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) would be one of the primary offices of responsibility. Three directorates beneath it are identified as likely involved: SAFAQL (Special Programs), which manages the deepest classified SAP advanced technology development programs; SAFAQR (Science, Technology and Engineering), which serves as Air Force Science and Technology Executive and coordinates with AQL on RDT&E SAPs; and SAFAQX (Acquisition Integration), alleged to provide administrative support to clandestine RDT&E SAPs.

The Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) is identified as the likely execution arm for legacy program acquisition. The RCO operates with a short and narrow chain of command, reports to a board chaired by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD A&S), and can accelerate the development, acquisition, and fielding of critical capabilities in ways that bypass standard congressional and Air Force oversight — making it, according to the presenter, a vehicle for engaging with UFO legacy programs while minimizing read-in personnel.

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is identified as the single most critical investigative target within the Air Force, commanding a budget portfolio of $82.9 billion in FY2025. Under AFMC, the Edwards 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base is alleged to house derivative technology and ARV programs. The Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (AFTTE) is argued to oversee reverse engineering of nonhuman technologies as part of its test and evaluation mandate across the 23 Major Range and Test Facility Bases (MRTFBs).

Historically, the presenter traces a line of organizational inheritance through the Air Force Special Weapons Center (AFSWC), which was dissolved in 1976 with its Office of Primary Responsibility transferred to the Air Force Research Laboratory, to present-day AFRL — cited as a key node in the alleged legacy structure.

Air Force Organizational Structure

The presenter maps a layered bureaucratic structure alleged to govern UAP legacy programs:

• Top tier: The National Security Council (NSC) and Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (USDINS) (USD I&S). The National Program Special Management Staff (NPMS) director is theorized as one of the most highly cleared individuals in the DoD, coordinating NSC SAPs with the DoD and intelligence community.
• Air Force acquisition tier: SAFAQ oversees programs worth over $60 billion annually. Randall G. Walden, as RCO Director and PEO, is identified as a key figure. A former Military Deputy of SAF/AQ (August 2022 to December 2023) oversaw $60+ billion in R&D, test, production, and modernization programs.
• Sensitive activities: SAFAHA (SAF/AH Sensitive Activities) serves as the Air Force's single enterprise OPR for sensitive activities under classified DoD directive S-5210.36. SAFAAZ handles security and special programs oversight. Both offices fall under the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force.
• Enforcement layer: AARO is alleged to have been established as a whistleblower honeypot under USD I&S oversight. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations and related elements are legally obliged to neutralize insider and outsider threats to classified programs.

Eight of fourteen former SECAF ATNL officials examined by the presenter had corporate histories featuring contractors accused of UAP legacy program involvement, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, TRW, LTV Aerospace, and General Dynamics. Susie Payton, who served as SECAF ATNL under George W. Bush, previously worked at Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin in advanced technology roles.

Key Figures

• Randall G. Walden: RCO Director and Program Executive Officer, member of the Senior Executive Service. The presenter calls on the current presidential administration to question Walden directly about UFO legacy program operations.
• Russell E. Wiler: Alleged Air Force gatekeeper for the UAP crash retrieval portfolio. Served as Director of the Sensitive Activities Office (SAF/AA) from 2009 to 2024, then moved to Director of Plans and Effects at the Office of Competitive Activities. Member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service.
• Ronald S. Moltry: Former USD I&S who allegedly helped establish AARO on July 20, 2022, and installed Sean Kirkpatrick as its director. Accused of deleting references to Battelle Memorial Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory FFRDC from his public CV.
• Sean Kirkpatrick: Former AARO Director. Accused of lying, deception, and active interference against UAP whistleblowers. Allegedly joined Oak Ridge National Lab FFRDC as CTO for defense and intelligence programs following his AARO tenure, with the job posting later removed.
• Eric Henry Wang: Described as a key historical figure in UFO legacy program discussions, with ties to the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson and Kirtland Air Force Bases and involvement in the AFSWC research and development directorate. Connected by prior witnesses to the 1953 Kingman, Arizona crash retrieval.
• Dylan Borland: Military whistleblower who testified to observing a large triangular craft with apparent electro-optic cloaking over Langley Air Force Base around 2012.
• Chris Mellon: Former government official who released partially redacted Signal message screenshots in April 2024 revealing an exchange about progress accessing the UFO crash retrieval portfolio.

Witness Accounts

Dylan Borland (Langley AFB, ~2012): Borland testified to witnessing a large, equilateral triangular craft with black metallic flake paint and a gold, lava-like plasma fluid flowing over its surface while stationed at Langley Air Force Base. The craft exhibited unusual, silent flight and appeared to employ an electro-optic cloaking system. It was observed hovering over a NASA hangar. Borland reported feeling static electricity and smelling a strong thunderstorm-like odor after the craft departed.

Witness MS (Dugway Proving Ground): A contractor identified as MS claimed to have encountered a seamless, flawless disc-shaped craft in a hangar in the Avery area of Dugway Proving Ground, appearing to be in the process of being dismantled. Dugway's Granite Peak is alleged to contain a deep underground military base surrounded by 388th Range Squadron radar and sensor infrastructure.

Witness "Ed" (Edwards AFB, 412th Test Wing): A retired Air Force officer identified as "Ed" claimed to have served on an alien reproduction vehicle test and evaluation program at the Edwards 412th Test Wing, involving both manned and unmanned reverse-engineered nonhuman craft. Pilots of alleged reverse-engineered vehicles were reportedly trained at the Air Force Test Pilot School.

Anonymous 24th STS Veteran: An anonymous whistleblower claimed that a veteran of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron had served as a troop chief who participated in a UFO retrieval team that recovered a bizarre egg-shaped craft.

NRO Source: A source claimed to operate within an NRO-led UFO crash retrieval team based out of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTR).

The AARO Controversy

The presenter alleges that AARO was deliberately designed not as a genuine investigative body but as a whistleblower honeypot — a mechanism to identify and neutralize individuals with knowledge of UAP legacy programs. Ronald S. Moltry, as USD I&S, announced AARO's creation on July 20, 2022, and installed Sean Kirkpatrick as its first director. Kirkpatrick is accused of lying, deception, and active interference against whistleblowers seeking to expose these programs.

Both Moltry and Kirkpatrick are alleged to have deleted references to the Battelle Memorial Institute and Oak Ridge National Laboratory FFRDC from their public professional biographies. Oak Ridge National Laboratory FFRDC, managed by Battelle, is rumored to be involved in recovered UFO systems analysis. Kirkpatrick allegedly subsequently joined Oak Ridge as CTO for defense and intelligence programs — a job posting that was later deleted.

Classified DoD directives governing SAF/AH sensitive activities are alleged to trace back to classified presidential executive orders from the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, suggesting the bureaucratic infrastructure for concealing UAP programs predates AARO by decades.

The Redacted Signal Exchange

In April 2024, Chris Mellon released partially redacted screenshots of a Signal messaging exchange with an unknown individual who claimed their group had made massive progress accessing the UAP crash retrieval portfolio and had deciphered its management structure, security control system, and ownership. The unknown individual referenced the 1953 Kingman, Arizona landing as one of the recovered non-human craft their group was working on, and cited a still-classified memo written by a Secretary of the Air Force in the 1950s as remaining in effect to maintain the cover on UAPs.

A redacted name in the exchange — identified by researcher Alex Catz through character-count analysis as likely being Russell E. Wiler (12 characters matching the derived count) — is alleged to represent the senior Air Force official serving as gatekeeper for the UAP crash retrieval portfolio. William E. McClure was identified as an alternative candidate also satisfying the 12-character condition. Wiler's role as Director of the Sensitive Activities Office (SAF/AA) from 2009 to 2024 is cited as consistent with such a gatekeeper function.

The presenter alleges that Chris Mellon, Lou Alzando, and an associated faction — potentially stemming from the NSC itself — have pursued a strategy of limited transparency, releasing only partial information about UAP programs while protecting certain individuals, possibly including former Senate Select Committee on Intelligence colleague Mary Sturivant, described as a career CIA officer and Lockheed Martin executive.

Key Claims

• The Air Force allegedly operates clandestine UAP legacy programs through a layered organizational structure centered on SAF/AQ, the RCO, and AFMC.
• UFO legacy programs are alleged to operate not without oversight, but under stripped, compartmentalized oversight channels that minimize congressional visibility.
• Waived Unacknowledged Special Access Programs (USAPs) are cited as the likely legal vehicle housing UAP legacy operations, with the Gang of Eight required to be notified at minimum under 10 US Code Section 119.
• The RCO is alleged to allow the Air Force to operate UFO legacy programs outside of standard congressional, Air Force, and executive branch oversight.
• Eight of fourteen former SECAF ATNL officials had corporate histories at contractors accused of UAP legacy program involvement.
• AARO was allegedly designed as a honeypot to identify and neutralize UAP whistleblowers rather than to genuinely investigate UAP phenomena.
• Russell E. Wiler is alleged to be the Air Force gatekeeper for the UAP crash retrieval portfolio.
• A still-classified Air Force memo from the 1950s allegedly remains in effect concealing UAP information.
• The total cost of UFO legacy program operations — including RDT&E and reverse engineering — may reach into the hundreds of billions to low trillions of dollars.
• JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) Tier 1 units, including Delta Force and Navy SEAL Team 6, are alleged to serve as the direct-action force for UAP crash retrievals, with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment providing transportation.

Sources

• YouTube — UAP Gerb

Related Pages

• Hidden Wing
• SAFAQ
• Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO)
• Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
• AARO
• Randall G. Walden
• Russell E. Wiler
• Sean Kirkpatrick
• Ronald S. Moltry
• Dylan Borland
• Chris Mellon
• Eric Henry Wang
• Waived Unacknowledged Special Access Programs (USAPs)
• Alien Reproduction Vehicle (ARV)
• Edwards Air Force Base
• Langley Air Force Base
• Dugway Proving Ground