An interesting video shows the two F-117s which have recently deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar departing for a mission in Southern California.
On Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020, two F-117s, using radio callsign “KNIGHT”, made a surprise visit to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, landing at the base in South California at around 17.30LT.
We don’t know the reason why the F-117s moved from their usual homebase at Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, to Miramar, even though they are probably going to be involved in some exercise in SOCAL playing the aggressor role, to develop anti-stealth technologies and tactics. Indeed, as explained in various articles, while some of the F-117s retired in 2008 and kept in a “Type 1000” storage at Tonopah Test Range have been disassembled before being transferred to museums around the U.S., sightings of F-117s flying over Nevada and California have continued. We have reported them in 2018, in 2019 and also 2020. After all, the F-117s are not completely retired, quite the contrary; they are increasinly becoming less “shy” appearing over the skies of LA area in plain daylight, taking part in Red Flag missions or operating for some reason from the base outside San Diego.
This is my final comment in the last article on the deployment of the F-117s a few days ago: “expect more reports and, hopefully, more photographs and videos in the next days as the “Wobblin’ Goblin” starts operating from MCAS Miramar.”
Indeed, a really cool video has just emerged. It shows the two iconic black jets departing from Miramar in the afternoon for what the author of the clip @Skyes9_ calls some “offshore activities”.
Interestingly, the aircraft did not return to Miramar after the mission, but headed back towards the desert.
Watch as NIGHT01 & 02 a flight of two F-117s depart MCAS Miramar this afternoon (OCT 22) for some work offshore in the W291 range. After their offshore work, both jets headed back towards the desert.
Video by Skyes9 @S9Aviation https://t.co/AzEozTYPLz
— Aircraft Spots (@AircraftSpots) October 23, 2020
Anyway, it’s also worth noticing that at least one of the two aircraft, along with a red-and-black checkered tail-band and an unknown emblem on the intake, sports a previously unseen “TR” tail marking.
While it seems an obvious reference to its most recent home at TTR, the white tail marking is larger and much more visible than the tail markings worn by the F-117s until they were officially retired in 2008. The mystery continues….
