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Welcome to nowhereland, find and seek files.
The Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter
The Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter
is an US fighter aircraft that has never been officially
acknowledged, it might refer
to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified.
All throughout the late 1980s, it was sort of an open secret that the Air Force and the Lockheed "Skunk Works" were working on a project to develop a "stealth fighter" that would be invisible to radar.
It was assumed by almost everyone that this project bore the designation F-19, since that designation had apparently been skipped when F-20 was assigned to a Northrop design.
The F-19 fighter designation has been one of the recurring mysteries of the postwar era. Was F-19 never assigned to any fighter aircraft as the Air Force claims, or was it a cover for some super secret "black" project ?
In July of 1986, the Tester Corporation of Rockford, Illinois released a $9.95 plastic kit model of what they called the "F-19 Stealth Fighter".
Tom Clancy referred to a "F-19 Ghost rider" in his 1986 novel Red Storm Rising as part of a plot involving a future European war.
In 1988, MicroProse had released F-19 Stealth Fighter computer game
The venerable Jane's All the World's Aircraft listed a Lockheed RF-19 in a 1987 reference book (erroneously).
After years of gossip and rumors, on November 10, 1988, the existence of the Lockheed "stealth fighter" was finally officially revealed by the Defense Department.
It turned out to be an attack aircraft rather than a fighter, since it apparently has no air-to-air capability.
John Lear
The Navy wanted a secret stealth fighter of their own. It was called the F-19. And it gets confused here, because people say: Oh, the F-19. That was really the F-117A. They just renamed it.
No. No, the F-19 was a separate airplane. They made 62 of them. I had a friend that not only worked in avionics, but I had a friend that knew about it.
He didn't fly it, but he knew the guys who did. So they were completely separate airplanes.
At the Skunk Works in Burbank... There was a gray iron kind of curtain that went down at the Skunk Works and you had the 117A on this side and the F-19A on this side.
They used, both, F404's, the engines. They used, both, the same landing gear. And the reason was that they were trying to build this secret Navy airplane without any money,
using spare parts from the F-117A, so they'd keep it absolutely, totally secret.
And you know what? They have, to this day. Because you can't find a person... That's one of the big problems I had on ATS. People would come down on me. I'd start talking about the F-19,
and boy, I'll tell you, you talk about a sensitive subject! They didn't want to hear that.
So here we have Ben Rich on page 48 talking about the Skunk Works and how it works. And he says: Meanwhile, the Navy came to us to test the feasibility for
Stealthy weapon systems and set up their own top secret security system that was twice as stringent as the Air Force's. We had to install special alarm systems that cost us a fortune
at the section of our headquarters building devoted to Naval work.
Okay, now here's the set-up. All they wanted was stealthy systems.
OK. In the next paragraph he says:
"In the midst of all this inter-service rivalry, security and hustle and bustle, Major-General Bobby Bond, who was in charge of tactical warfare, came
thundering into the Skunk Works with blood in his eye on a boiling September morning.
The Santa Ana winds were howling and half of L. A. was under a thick pall of smoke. My asthma was acting up, and I was in no mood for a visit. But General Bond was a brooder
and a worrier and drove me and everybody else absolutely bonkers at the time, as he followed the progress of the F-117A.
He always thought he was being short-changed or victimized in some way. He pounded on my desk and accused me of having some of my best workers of his "Have-Blue" airplane -
which was the 117A - to work on some rumored Navy project.
I did my best to look hurt and appease Bobby and even raised my right hand in a solemn oath. I told myself: "So what? It's a little white lie. What else can I do? The Navy project is
top secret and Bonds has no need to know. We could both go to jail if I told him what was really up. " Unfortunately, on the way out to lunch the General spotted a special lock and alarm system above an unmarked door which he knew from prowling the rings of the
Pentagon was used only by the Navy on its top secret projects.
Bond squeezed my arm: "What's going on inside that door?" he demanded to know. Before I could think up another lie, he commanded me to open the door.
He said: "Rich, you devious bastard! I'm giving you a direct order! Open the goddamn door this instant or I'll smash it down myself with this goddamn fire-axe!"
The guy meant every word of it. He began pounding on the door until a crack finally opened. He forced his way in, and there sat a few startled Navy Commanders.
"Bobby, this isn't what you think," I lied in vain. "The hell it isn't, you lying SOB!"
I surrendered, but not gracefully. "Okay, you got me. But before we go to lunch you're going to have to sign an 'Inadvertent Disclosure' form or they'll both have our asses!" The Navy, of
course, was outraged at both of us. The Air Force General seeing their secret project was as bad as handing a blueprint to the Russians".
Okay. Now, see this little thing at the bottom of the page? It says General Bond was later killed in a test flight. Because of the tragedy, the Pentagon ruled that general officers could no longer do test flights.
That was in 1984. You know what he was killed in? The story was a MIG-23 - which we all knew was bullshit. He was killed in an F-19 because he demanded the Navy let him fly it.
And what they did is, they disabled... electronically disabled... the control system and killed him.
And the reason they did, is they didn't want the Air Force to know about the Navy project. And the reason they didn't want them to know about the Navy project is, part of those
airplanes were going to carriers and part were going to Israel.
And THAT'S the story of Ben Rich".
> Article of the Los Angeles Times - July 12 1986
> Article of the New York Times - July 12 1986
All throughout the late 1980s, it was sort of an open secret that the Air Force and the Lockheed "Skunk Works" were working on a project to develop a "stealth fighter" that would be invisible to radar.
It was assumed by almost everyone that this project bore the designation F-19, since that designation had apparently been skipped when F-20 was assigned to a Northrop design.
The F-19 fighter designation has been one of the recurring mysteries of the postwar era. Was F-19 never assigned to any fighter aircraft as the Air Force claims, or was it a cover for some super secret "black" project ?
In July of 1986, the Tester Corporation of Rockford, Illinois released a $9.95 plastic kit model of what they called the "F-19 Stealth Fighter".
Tom Clancy referred to a "F-19 Ghost rider" in his 1986 novel Red Storm Rising as part of a plot involving a future European war.
In 1988, MicroProse had released F-19 Stealth Fighter computer game
The venerable Jane's All the World's Aircraft listed a Lockheed RF-19 in a 1987 reference book (erroneously).
After years of gossip and rumors, on November 10, 1988, the existence of the Lockheed "stealth fighter" was finally officially revealed by the Defense Department.
It turned out to be an attack aircraft rather than a fighter, since it apparently has no air-to-air capability.
John LearThe Navy wanted a secret stealth fighter of their own. It was called the F-19. And it gets confused here, because people say: Oh, the F-19. That was really the F-117A. They just renamed it.
No. No, the F-19 was a separate airplane. They made 62 of them. I had a friend that not only worked in avionics, but I had a friend that knew about it.
He didn't fly it, but he knew the guys who did. So they were completely separate airplanes.
At the Skunk Works in Burbank... There was a gray iron kind of curtain that went down at the Skunk Works and you had the 117A on this side and the F-19A on this side.
They used, both, F404's, the engines. They used, both, the same landing gear. And the reason was that they were trying to build this secret Navy airplane without any money,
using spare parts from the F-117A, so they'd keep it absolutely, totally secret.
And you know what? They have, to this day. Because you can't find a person... That's one of the big problems I had on ATS. People would come down on me. I'd start talking about the F-19,
and boy, I'll tell you, you talk about a sensitive subject! They didn't want to hear that.
So here we have Ben Rich on page 48 talking about the Skunk Works and how it works. And he says: Meanwhile, the Navy came to us to test the feasibility for
Stealthy weapon systems and set up their own top secret security system that was twice as stringent as the Air Force's. We had to install special alarm systems that cost us a fortune
at the section of our headquarters building devoted to Naval work.
Okay, now here's the set-up. All they wanted was stealthy systems.
OK. In the next paragraph he says:
"In the midst of all this inter-service rivalry, security and hustle and bustle, Major-General Bobby Bond, who was in charge of tactical warfare, came
thundering into the Skunk Works with blood in his eye on a boiling September morning.
The Santa Ana winds were howling and half of L. A. was under a thick pall of smoke. My asthma was acting up, and I was in no mood for a visit. But General Bond was a brooder
and a worrier and drove me and everybody else absolutely bonkers at the time, as he followed the progress of the F-117A.
He always thought he was being short-changed or victimized in some way. He pounded on my desk and accused me of having some of my best workers of his "Have-Blue" airplane -
which was the 117A - to work on some rumored Navy project.
I did my best to look hurt and appease Bobby and even raised my right hand in a solemn oath. I told myself: "So what? It's a little white lie. What else can I do? The Navy project is
top secret and Bonds has no need to know. We could both go to jail if I told him what was really up. " Unfortunately, on the way out to lunch the General spotted a special lock and alarm system above an unmarked door which he knew from prowling the rings of the
Pentagon was used only by the Navy on its top secret projects.
Bond squeezed my arm: "What's going on inside that door?" he demanded to know. Before I could think up another lie, he commanded me to open the door.
He said: "Rich, you devious bastard! I'm giving you a direct order! Open the goddamn door this instant or I'll smash it down myself with this goddamn fire-axe!"
The guy meant every word of it. He began pounding on the door until a crack finally opened. He forced his way in, and there sat a few startled Navy Commanders.
"Bobby, this isn't what you think," I lied in vain. "The hell it isn't, you lying SOB!"
I surrendered, but not gracefully. "Okay, you got me. But before we go to lunch you're going to have to sign an 'Inadvertent Disclosure' form or they'll both have our asses!" The Navy, of
course, was outraged at both of us. The Air Force General seeing their secret project was as bad as handing a blueprint to the Russians".
Okay. Now, see this little thing at the bottom of the page? It says General Bond was later killed in a test flight. Because of the tragedy, the Pentagon ruled that general officers could no longer do test flights.
That was in 1984. You know what he was killed in? The story was a MIG-23 - which we all knew was bullshit. He was killed in an F-19 because he demanded the Navy let him fly it.
And what they did is, they disabled... electronically disabled... the control system and killed him.
And the reason they did, is they didn't want the Air Force to know about the Navy project. And the reason they didn't want them to know about the Navy project is, part of those
airplanes were going to carriers and part were going to Israel.
And THAT'S the story of Ben Rich".
> Article of the Los Angeles Times - July 12 1986
> Article of the New York Times - July 12 1986