Message posted by Russ on December 08, 2003 at 15:46:50 PST:
Might be of interest, from www.acc.af.mil: Lt. Col. Kevin Sullivan, Detachment 1, 53rd Test and Evaluation Group commander, asked the 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron corrosion flight to paint their F-117, nicknamed "the Dragon," gray to evaluate if it will have a substantial role in daytime combat operations. "The chief of staff wants to have a 24-hour stealth presence over future battlefields," said Lt. Col. Buck Rogers, the Det. 1, 53rd TEG operations officer. "We know our current black paint scheme wouldn't be a good color for daytime operations." Preparation for painting began Nov. 17, said Staff Sgt. Armond Cornin, 49th AMXS corrosion flight NCOIC. AMXS members worked day and night to complete the job. With the project complete, the jet will participate in upcoming tests as part of a program called Global Strike Task Force, Colonel Rogers said. The jet will fly with the F/A-22 in several tests both locally and deployed. The Dragon is a test-coded aircraft owned by Det. 1, 53rd TEG. "We use the Dragon for everything from new tactics development to the evaluation of new software or hardware," said Maj. Tre Urso, a Det. 1, 53rd TEG pilot. "Det. 1 has been involved in all the F-117 modifications and upgrades over the years. Now, we want to evaluate the feasibility of using the F-117 during daylight operations." According to Colonel Rogers, Air Force leadership will approve additional jets for the gray scheme only if the test results show the change is warranted. Whether or not the rest of the jets are painted, this project is worth the time and effort spent on completing it, Major Urso said. "It provides a great opportunity for us to learn about our daytime capabilities and limitations. It also helps us evaluate how the new paints will hold up over time and lets us measure the impact the color modification has on the maintenance troops who maintain the jet. Bottom line, we need to make sure we provide our leaders an accurate assessment of the costs and benefits involved with daytime ops and the gray paint scheme."
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (ACCNS)-- It took 10 gallons of dark gray paint, five-and-a-half gallons of light gray paint and three gallons of silicon paint to give one F-117A Nighthawk here an F/A-22 Raptor-style makeover.
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