AT-38Bs. Another change followed on
October 5, 1989, when the 4450th TG
and its component squadrons were
re-designated. The parent designation
was changed to the 37th Tactical Fighter
Wing. The 4450th ‘Nightstalkers’, together
with the 4451st Test Squadron, became
the 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron
(TFS) ‘Nightstalkers’ and the 416th ‘Ghost
Riders’ respectively. The training unit, the
4453rd TFS ‘Grim Reapers’, continued its
flight training responsibility but as the
417th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
(TFTS) ‘Bandits’.Combat debut
By the late 1980s, relations between
Panama’s military dictator Gen Manuel
Noriega and the US had deteriorated after
numerous incidents to a point where, on
December 15, 1989, Noriega declared a
state of war between the two countries.
The George H. W. Bush administration
decided to remove the despot and issued
orders to implement Operation ‘Just Cause’
— the codename for the pre-planned
invasion of Panama.In support of the operation, at 14.00hrs
local time on December 19, 1989, eight
F-117s launched from Tonopah. Two
airborne spares returned following
completion of the initial aerial refueling.
The decision to employ the F-117 was
based upon its bombing accuracy
(Panama didn’t possess a radar defense
network so the aircraft’s stealth features
were irrelevant). The 3,000-mile round
trip from Tonopah to England AFB,
Louisiana, required five aerial refuelings
and was supported by KC-10s and
KC-135s. Of the six aircraft in the strike
package, two were airborne spares,
while two were tasked to attack the Río
Hato army base and the other two were
designated to hit Noriega’s residences
at the Río Hato beach house and the La
Escondida mountain resort.
In the event, the planned attacks on
the dictator’s residences were cancelled
when intelligence reports indicated
that the intended target wouldn’t be at
either. However, Maj Greg Feest, flying
aircraft 816, and his wingman Maj Dale
Hanner, dropped two 2,000lb GBU-27sThe nocturnal, bat-like existence of F-117
pilots at this time — sleeping during the
day and flying strictly at night — was highly
demanding and chronically tiring
the day and flying strictly at night —
was highly demanding and chronically
tiring. On the nights of July 11, 1986, and
October 14, 1987, in excellent weather
conditions and good visibility, the USAF
lost two F-117s in accidents. Both pilots
were killed, having failed to eject.
Investigations established that both
aircraft showed no signs of mechanical
malfunction and that the likely cause of
both these horrific accidents was pilot
fatigue and spatial disorientation. On
October 20, 1987, Maj Bruce Teagarden
ejected safely from his A-7D after the
aircraft lost power. Unfortunately, the
Corsair crashed into a Ramada Inn hotel
near Indianapolis airport, killing nine
people. Teagarden was cleared of all
culpability, and although he was publicly
acknowledged as being a member of the
4450th the unit was not known to have
any links with Tonopah, ensuring that
Senior Trend remained in the black.
However, these events served as the
trigger to bring the F-117 out of the
shadows. On November 10, 1988, at a
Pentagon press conference, Assistant
Secretary of Defense J. Daniel Howard
held up a fuzzy photograph of the
aircraft. Releasing its general shape
allowed the 4450th to begin daylight
flights, which led to a string of sightings.
Easing Senior Trend into the ‘white world’
enabled the 4450th to retire its gas-
guzzling A-7s, and in September 1989
it re-equipped with more economicalThe Tonopah
hangars consisted
of ‘taxi-through’
barns grouped
in blocks of
six. Note the
uncompromisingly
high barbed wire
fencing separated
by a well-lit,
closely monitored
‘dead zone’ that
isolated the flight
line, hangars and
other sensitive
areas from the
rest of the base.
Lockheed MartinFEATURE ARTICLE // ‘SKUNK WORKS’ AT 75: F-117
56 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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