Editing Area 51 (section)

===Have Blue/F-117 program===

{{Main|Lockheed Have Blue|Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|Tonopah Test Range Airport}}

The [[Lockheed Have Blue]] prototype stealth fighter (a smaller proof-of-concept model of the [[F-117 Nighthawk]]) first flew at Groom in December 1977.{{sfn|Rich|Janos|1994|pp=56–60}}
[[File:Have Blue bottom view.jpg|thumb|left|Underside view of ''Have Blue'']]

In 1978, the Air Force awarded a full-scale development contract for the F-117 to Lockheed Corporation's Advanced Development Projects. On 17 January 1981 the Lockheed test team at Area 51 accepted delivery of the first full-scale development (FSD) prototype ''79–780'', designated YF-117A. At 6:05&nbsp;am on 18 June 1981 Lockheed Skunk Works test pilot Hal Farley lifted the nose of YF-117A ''79–780'' off the runway of Area 51.<ref name="F117hist">{{cite web |url=http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/stealth.pdf |title=Info |website=www.usafpatches.com |access-date=6 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106164327/http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/stealth.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[Tactical Air Command]] (TAC) decided to set up a group-level organization to guide the F-117A to an initial operating capability. That organization became the 4450th Tactical Group (Initially designated "A Unit"), which officially activated on 15 October 1979 at [[Nellis AFB]], Nevada, although the group was physically located at Area 51. The 4450th TG also operated the A-7D Corsair II as a surrogate trainer for the F-117A, and these operations continued until 15 October 1982 under the guise of an avionics test mission.<ref name="F117hist"/>

Flying squadrons of the 4450th TG were the 4450th Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "I Unit") activated on 11 June 1981, and 4451st Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "P Unit") on 15 January 1983. The 4450th TS, stationed at Area 51, was the first F-117A squadron, while the 4451st TS was stationed at Nellis AFB and was equipped with [[A-7D Corsair II]]s painted in a dark motif, tail coded "LV". Lockheed test pilots put the YF-117 through its early paces. A-7Ds were used for pilot training before any F-117As had been delivered by Lockheed to Area 51, later the A-7D's were used for F-117A chase testing and other weapon tests at the Nellis Range. On 15 October 1982, Major Alton C. Whitley Jr. became the first USAF 4450th TG pilot to fly the F-117A.<ref name="F117hist"/>

Although ideal for testing, Area 51 was not a suitable location for an operational group, so a new covert base had to be established for F-117 operations.<ref name="F117Area51">{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Area51.html |title=Area 51 Test Site |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022172405/http://www.f-117a.com/Area51.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tonopah Test Range Airport]] was selected for operations of the first USAF F-117 unit, the [[4450th Tactical Group]] (TG).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/4450th.html |title=4450th TG |publisher=F-117A |date=1 April 2002 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022172332/http://www.f-117a.com/4450th.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> From October 1979, the Tonopah Airport base was reconstructed and expanded. The 6,000-foot runway was lengthened to 10,000 feet. Taxiways, a concrete apron, a large maintenance hangar, and a propane storage tank were added.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Tonopah.html |title=Tonopah Test Range (TTR) |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022171214/http://www.f-117a.com/Tonopah.html |archive-date=22 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

By early 1982, four more YF-117As were operating at the base.<ref name="Peebles"/>{{rp|162}} After finding a large scorpion in their offices, the testing team (Designated "R Unit") adopted it as their mascot and dubbed themselves the "Baja Scorpions".<ref name="BScorpions"/> Testing of a series of ultra-secret prototypes continued at Area 51 until mid-1981 when testing transitioned to the initial production of F-117 stealth fighters. The F-117s were moved to and from Area 51 by C-5 during darkness to maintain security. The aircraft were defueled, disassembled, cradled, and then loaded aboard the C-5 at night, flown to Lockheed, and unloaded at night before reassembly and flight testing. Groom performed radar profiling, F-117 weapons testing, and training of the first group of frontline USAF F-117 pilots.<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|161}}

While the "Baja Scorpions" were working on the F-117, there was also another group at work in secrecy, known as "the Whalers" working on Tacit Blue. A [[fly-by-wire]] technology demonstration aircraft with curved surfaces and composite material, to evade radar, was a prototype, and never went into production. Nevertheless, this strange-looking aircraft was responsible for many of the [[stealth technology]] advances that were used on several other aircraft designs, and had a direct influence on the B-2; with the first flight of [[Tacit Blue]] being performed on 5{{nbsp}}February 1982, by [[Northrop Grumman Corporation|Northrop Grumman]] test pilot, [[Richard G. Thomas]].<ref name="Peebles" />{{rp|249–250}}

Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Area 51 for acceptance testing. As the Baja Scorpions tested the aircraft with functional check flights and L.O. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to the 4450th TG.<ref name="BScorpions">{{cite web |url=http://www.f-117a.com/Baja.html |title=JTF "Baja Scorpions" of Groom Lake |publisher=F-117A |date=14 July 2003 |access-date=10 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604035142/http://www.f-117a.com/Baja.html |archive-date=4 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:F-117 Nighthawk Front.jpg|thumb|F-117 flying over mountains|alt=|left]]

On 17 May 1982, the move of the 4450th TG from Groom Lake to Tonopah was initiated, with the final components of the move completed in early 1983. Production FSD airframes from Lockheed were shipped to Area 51 for acceptance testing. As the Baja Scorpions tested the aircraft with functional check flights and L.O. verification, the operational airplanes were then transferred to the 4450th TG at Tonopah.<ref name="BScorpions"/>

The R-Unit was inactivated on 30 May 1989. Upon inactivation, the unit was reformed as Detachment 1, [[57th Fighter Weapons Wing]] (FWW). In 1990, the last F-117A (''843'') was delivered from Lockheed. After completion of acceptance flights at Area 51 of this last new F-117A aircraft, the flight test squadron continued flight test duties of refurbished aircraft after modifications by Lockheed. In February/March 1992 the test unit moved from Area 51 to the USAF Palmdale [[Plant 42]] and was integrated with the [[Air Force Systems Command]] [[6510th Test Squadron]]. Some testing, especially RCS verification and other classified activity was still conducted at Area 51 throughout the operational lifetime of the F-117. The recently inactivated (2008) [[410th Flight Test Squadron]] traces its roots, if not its formal lineage to the 4450th TG R-unit.<ref name="BScorpions"/>