Unexpected Guests! Video shows rare F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters landing at MCAS Miramar

Unexpected Guests! Video shows rare F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters landing at MCAS Miramar

By Dario Leone
Oct 25 2020
Share this article

Notice the high-visibility TR tailcode carried by the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters.

Posted on its YouTube Channel by AirshowStuff and taken by winston.dc who first posted this video on his Instagram account, the interesting footage in this post features two F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters making an exceptionally rare daytime public appearance by landing at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar near San Diego on Oct. 20, 2020.

The F-117 was officially retired to flyable storage in 2008, but the jets have been sighted conducting secretive training missions since then. It is very rare to see them in daylight, let alone at a major airbase in an urban area. Notice the high-visibility TR tailcode carried by the jets.

As we have previously reported, last August Hill Aerospace Museum received a Nighthawk to be put on display when F-117A 82-0799/HO (msn A4024) arrived at the museum without its RAM (Radar Absorbent Material), from Tonopah Test Range.

Unexpected Guests! Video shows rare F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters landing at MCAS Miramar
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS.  F-117A Nighthawk (Stealth) 49th OG, 8th FS “The Black Sheep Squadron”, HO/88-843, Holoman AFB, NM – 2008

On Dec. 7, 2019 another Nighthawk, F-117 #803’s nickname “Unexpected Guest,” was put on display at the Ronald Reagan library.

A total of 59 F-117As were built between 1981 and 1990.

The decision by the Air Force to accelerate the retirement of the F-117 led to the arrival of the F-22A Raptor, another stealth “fighter,” at Holloman in Jun. 2008.

The last F-117s left Holloman in April 2008 with a stop at their birthplace in Palmdale, California, before ending up in their final resting place where their historic journey began in 1981 – Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. The aircraft were placed in Type 1000 storage in the event they were ever called back into duty (in fact there have been many reported sightings and pictures of the aircraft flying since then…).

Photo credit: winston.dc via AirshowStuff


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

Error: Contact form not found.


Share this article
Back to top
My Agile Privacy
This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

List of some possible advertising permissions:

You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices