Sunday 21 November 2010

Sunday 7 November 2010

a bit of audio of Sabre 96 F-117A and its playmates

From TTR on 7-Oct.



Sabre 11 is N105TB Gulfstream II that departs the TTR at 1300 local time.  At the same time, Sierra 99 KC-10 85-0029 joined the test with Sabre 96 (F-117A?  same callsign and voice as 5-Oct) and Sabre 60 helicopter which went across TTR to Area 19B.  All working Ramrod on 337.5.

Also active were Cannon 1 and 2 A-10s in 'the Valley of Death' seen from Tikaboo Peak on 6-Oct-10 but also heard on 5-Oct-10.  Assumed not to be part of the test.

Friday 5 November 2010

Side aspect of the F-117A near Groom Lake in October 2010


From a different angle.  Messing around in photo manipulation software it looks like there could be a red fintip flash on the Nighthawk.  Can't see a tail code though. 

The white star and bar under the port wing is clearly evident.  Some archive photos have a white national insignia, I'm just surprised it's not toned down grey.  But maybe this ones always been a test example?

It was at 20000feet or more, so forgive the atmospherics!

A little bit of video of the F-117A near Groom Lake on 5-Oct-10

There's plenty more....

MIT Gulfstream II N105TB over the TTR 7-Oct-10


N105TB departed from Tonopah Test Range at 1300, callsign Sabre 11, climbed to medium levels and operated E-W racetrack patterns at 25000-28000ft over the Groom Lake area.  A helicopter callsign Sabre 60 and (not visually confirmed but assumed....same voice, same callsign) F-117A Sabre 96 were part of the test with the KC-10 tanking the F-117A before doing a couple of touch n goes at the TTR.

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Flying in daylight suggests that whatever the test is can't be too secret, be it testing the aircraft, the seekers or just keeping current. 

F-117A #831 was the last one to leave Palmdale on 11-Aug-08 supposedly for the TTR.  Maybe it didn't go there at all (anyone watch it arrive at TTR?).

We were not the first to spot a F-117A flying round the ranges as there's a report on http://www.fencecheck.com/ of a sighting early morning during Red Flag