Message posted by Vahe Demirjian (Member since 04/28/2022) on July 04, 2023 at 14:58:27 PST:
The 1987–1988 and 1988–89 editions of Jane's All the World's Aircraft referred to the F-117 Nighthawk as "RF-19" and even associated the program name CSIRS (Covert, Survivable In-Weather Reconnaisance/Strike) with the F-117, muddling the question of the true designation of the Nighthawk (we know that the CSIRS program was unrelated to the F-117 and instead focused upon the notion of using advanced radar concepts to enhance survivability of aircraft penetrating heavily defended areas). Given that the USAF Standards Branch in November 1982 recommended that the Northrop F-5G be redesignated F-19 even though the USAF HQ in the Pentagon ignored the USAF Standard Branch's request and instead redesignated the Northrop F-5G as F-20 at Northrop's urging to avoid confusion with the MiG-19, and the F-117's first flight took place around the time that the F-20 was originally designated F-5G, it's unclear whether the popular press had access to USAF nomenclatural records requesting that F-5G be renamed F-19 despite Northrop's insistence on having F-19 skipped for the F-5G to avoid confusion with the MiG-19
because the stealthy nature of the ATF program for a stealthy supersonic jet fighter that produced the YF-22 and YF-23 should have made the popular press in the 1981-1986 take pause depicting the F-117 with a jet fighter-like appearance, and an early 1988 issue of the Gung-ho magazine was the first publication in the popular press to suggest that F-117 and not F-19 was the true designation for the Nighthawk.
In Reply to: Re: Reflective element about new Skunk Work design and old F19 posted by Peter Merlin on July 04, 2023 at 7:28:19 PST:
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