Message posted by freema22 (Member since 02/12/2022) on April 21, 2023 at 12:29:24 PST:
I debated whether I should post this here or on the NMUSAF Facebook page. I just left the museum and spent a good amount of time examining the Tacit Blue. IMHO, it is one of the most significant aircraft on display there. We all know how much restoration goes into getting an F-117 ready for display. I’m curious what the Tacit Blue had to go through. I noticed that it looks like they used a paint roller to paint certain areas of the plane, particularly the chine that runs around the leading sledge of the aircraft. It’s fascinating for several reasons. 1) When it was unveiled to the public, it came out of no where. There was no fanfare when it arrived, it just was rolled out one day. 2) They talk about the significance of helping develop LO curved surfaces, but very little about the radar systems it helped develop for what became the J-STARS. 3) The cockpit windows are covered with opaque black film, but the mus in has a 360 degree image of the cockpit on their website. I wonder what else the museum is hiding in the “back room” to surprise everyone with. I’m guessing an RQ-170 isn’t too far away.
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