laststandonzombieisland

The first operational ‘stealth bomber’ was the F-117 Nighthawk. Just 64 (5 YF-117As, 59 F-117As) of these craft were built in the early 1980s and their very existence remained classified until Nov 1988– as the Berlin Wall was within a year of coming down they didn’t need to be Top Secret anymore. Used in the Gulf War and over Serbia (where one was shot down as much by luck as anything else), the type was retired (officially) in 2008, replaced by the multi-role and more advanced F-22 Raptor.

But they didn’t get rid of them…and unlike most retired USAF combat aircraft, they weren’t shipped to the Boneyard at Davis-Mothan.

Foxtrot Alpha has an in depth look at why a few at least still seem to be on the payroll at Area 51 and are still flying

“It was originally stated that the entire F-117A fleet, minus one pre-production example which was scrapped as an experiment at Plant 42 in Palmdale, CA, would be put into regenerative storage at the F-117’s original operational home, desolate Tonopah Test Range Air Base in south central Nevada. The stored aircraft’s systems would be “mummified” and their wings would be removed so that up to five aircraft could fit into a single hangar which once housed two of the jets during their early operational heyday. Although there were murmurs about a handful of F-117s being kept in flying condition, the USAF has not addressed exactly how many of the black jets would be kept in such a state, and more importantly, why they would be kept in a flyable condition in the first place.”

More here