...Meanwhile, at Tonopah...

[MikeKozlowski]

...F-117s are being certified for refueling by KC-46 Pegasus tankers.

Move along, nothin' to see here, all perfectly routine.

https://theaviationist.com/2025/10/01/f ... rom-kc-46/

Mike

[Johnnie Lyle]

The KC-46 working is routine? :p

[MikeKozlowski]

The KC-46 working is routine? :p

Mike

[warshipadmin]

Can anyone explain why the AF is flying a retired model and intends to do so for the 9 years?

[James1978]

Can anyone explain why the AF is flying a retired model and intends to do so for the 9 years?

I think it's that it's a very well known and understood quantity, so it's a good baseline target for exercises and testing new/updated systems.

[Nightwatch2]

Can anyone explain why the AF is flying a retired model and intends to do so for the 9 years?

I think it's that it's a very well known and understood quantity, so it's a good baseline target for exercises and testing new/updated systems.

under contract apparently. makes perfect sense.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Can anyone explain why the AF is flying a retired model and intends to do so for the 9 years?

I think it's that it's a very well known and understood quantity, so it's a good baseline target for exercises and testing new/updated systems.

under contract apparently. makes perfect sense.

F-117 is a good example of what first-gen stealth is going to look like, so why not use them as testbeds as long as they can economically safely fly?