Recent F-117 IR signature testing?

By: garryA - 8th December 2017 at 07:41

Collect from the net.

At 9:20 AM hours local time on November 14, 2017, an F-117 was seen flying north of Rachel, Nevada, Nevada. In addition to this bomber, a two-seater F-16 was seen.

It is worth mentioning that, just a few hours later on the same day - about 1:15 pm local time - a photographer David. Atkinson shot two photos of an F-16D crossing the famous "Star Wars Canyon," the Rainbow Canyon in California.


After examining the F-16D Block 30 two-seater fighter with number 86-0052 in detail, two interesting details were uncovered: First, the right inlet of the F-16, Paragon, carried a Lockheed Martin's AN / AAS-42 IRST (Infra-red search and track) pod. The second point - more interesting than the previous one - the two pilots, front and rear, seem to wear "Red Hat" and "Red Eagle" armbands!

"Red Eagle" is the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (4477th TES) nickname. The 4477 Test Assessment Squadron was operated by the U.S. Air Force squadron under the Long Lasting Plan during the Cold War period to operate the MiG-17, MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighter jets to understand the characteristics and tactics of Soviet fighters. Today, the Red Eagle Squadron has become an unnamed unit under Task Force 3 of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) Test Wing at the Tonopah Test Range (here also F- 117 fighters retired after shelter.) Operation MiG-29, Su-27P and other Russian-made fighters. The Red Hat Squadron, the 6513th Flight Test Squadron of the 6513 Flight Test Squadron and later the 413th Test Squadron of the 413th Squadron, is also similar to the Red Eagle Squadron and is responsible for the implementation of the Foreign Materiel Exploitation, FME) to test foreign fighters. Now Red Squadron has become an unnamed unit under Test Detachment 3 of the Air Force Test Center, but unlike the Red Eagle Squadron, the site is Groom Lake (known as Area 51 Area 51)

Take a closer look at the armbands of the two pilots: the rear pilots are armed with "Red Hat" armbands; while the front pilots appear to wear the armbands of the 53rd TEG Det 3 - The letter took over most of the work of the Red Eagle squadron.

It is currently known that many F-16D Block 30s, which do not have any associated base code on the vertical tail, are in the vicinity of Area 51 and can be clearly identified in satellite photos and often carry white instrument pods and other types such as Electric War The system pods were shot near Nellis Range. The F-16Ds were once witnessed and trained or flown by the Su-27 squadrons of the Red Riding Hood

but their main purpose appeared to be to chase the test aircraft and record its flight and provide a sense for evaluating new or foreign equipment platform. The F-16D Block 30 86-0052 was taken this time is also a very interesting machine itself, according to F-16.net data, although the 86-0052 aircraft has been in service, but there have been It took no more than 10 years for us to be tracked to a fixed affiliate base and to have not taken any photos for a long time. It is no exaggeration to call this a "ghost machine." Until now, we learn why it has not been witnessed for a long time.

So a few hours after witnessing a two-seater F-16 with a Flying F-117 near St. Regis, the fighter jet belonging to Lake Muff in Zone 51 passed through Star Wars Canyon. Coincidence? maybe. However, considering that the F-16 is loaded with IRST pods, this seems to represent some of the F-117s being used to assist in the development/testing of anti-stalking technologies.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that on September 5, 2017, the mysterious Eric of Nevada Test and Training Ground, 100 miles northwest of Nellis AFB, Lieutenant Colonel Schultz crashed and the U.S. Air Force did not report any crashes. However, sources pointed out that the identity of Lieutenant-Colonel Schultz at the time of the incident was the commander of the Red Cap Squadron, which left room for imagination.

[Note 1] Although the official claim that the F-117 was decommissioned in 2008, there are still a large number of eyewitness reports in the vicinity of Area 51 that the aircraft are still being used.
https://youtu.be/L_fje6VP0AE

[Note 2] The AN / AAS-42 was originally used for the F-14D and was installed under the fuselage. February 2008 Loma company exhibited at the Singapore Air Show pod AN / AAS-42, for the global F-16 fighter selection. It is worth mentioning that some of the IRST pods are also equipped on the 64th Aggressor Squadron (64th AGS) F-16.

[Note 3] Red Hat Squadron is the system command center branch, according to the base is often referred to as 51 District Groom Lake base; Red Eagle squadron under the tactical Air Force Command, with the F-117 Wing Share Tonopah base. As both bases are part of the training airspace in Sierra Leone, they are often confused, but in reality they are two different and far apart bases. Red Eagle Squadron has been disassembled and open, Red Hat Squadron also suspected to be de-compiled, but the flight test center is still unknown units continue to occupy Groom Lake base, and the base is still top secret, so a while ago pilot unknown fighter crashed pilots may Is in flight test center service.