A pair of F-117 Nighthawk stealth jets are turning heads after landing at Fresno-Yosemite International Airport in central California. The enigmatic aircraft arrived in Fresno on Monday afternoon (13), operating under the callsign 'Knight 01', and taxied to the military area adjacent to the civilian airport. 

The aircraft will be used as an "aggressor" in air combat training against F-15C/D Eagle fighters from the 144th Fighter Wing, which is based in Fresno. to the portal The War Zone, the wing reported that the visit of aircraft from Tonopah (Nevada) was fully planned. The arrival of the aircraft in Fresno was recorded by the spotter Sean Towe (@avitography), who also serves as the site operations supervisor.  

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Unsurprisingly, stealth jets, officially retired in 2008, are still flying. The planes were recorded in flight multiple times in the Nevada Desert and their sightings became more and more public over the years. As of October 2020, two Nighthawks were sent to the Miramar Naval Station, in San Diego, where the plot takes place Top Gun: Indomitable Aces. More recently, in February of this year, other two F-117s were recorded in flight over Los Angeles, accompanying a KC-135 Stratotanker tanker. 

See More: 40 Years of the F-117 Nighthawk: Four Facts About the First Operational Stealth Airplane

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It is already known that the F-117s that remain in service are performing the role of aggressor aircraft, that is, playing the role of the enemy in dissimilar air combat exercises. However, the USAF does not officially claim this. Having this asset in the fleet is even important for testing the new AESA APG-82 (Active Electronic Scanning) radars installed on legacy F-15 air superiority aircraft.

O The War Zone also points out that Sniper pods, typically used in air-to-ground operations to guide bombs and identify targets, also give them the ability to visually identify those targets at long range, day or night, so they can be engaged before it's too late. Mounted on the center pylon of the fighter's fuselage, the pod is slaved to the aircraft's radar. 

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In the video below, posted by Randy Bugni, the two stealth aircraft can be seen taxiing across the Fresno apron alongside F-15 Eagles of the 144th FW. Since they were "retired" in 2008, this is the closest and clearest look at stealth aircraft. On the tail, the inscription TR can be seen, one in white, the other in red. One of the jets also carries the radar reflectors (which increase the RCS), while the other does not. 

On Facebook, the 144th FW also posted images of the F-117s. In the weapons bay can be seen a logistic pod, used to transport materials and instruments needed in missions outside headquarters.

https://www.facebook.com/144thFighterWing/videos/1220437051767717/

Even so, the F-117 remains shrouded in mystery, more than 40 years after its first flight. The jet was developed at Skunk Works – Lockheed's secret project division – from the Have Blue demonstrators. Initially, the aircraft were operated from the Tonopah Test Range, in the middle of the Nevada desert and close to the infamous Area 51. Then they were sent to Holloman Air Force Base, in New Mexico, from where they operated until the “end” of their active life. .