Originally Posted by
unmanned_droid
This was a kit specifically developed for EH-60A DFE. It was found impractical enough that a lot of the applique was not used in the first gulf war. The forward hemisphere was considered most important so the parts applied to the tailboom were removed first (also noting vibe issues as we discussed previously). Looks like the aircraft had RAM coatings.
I am a member of a different forum that has some contributors that keep track of these sorts of things. This photo was first found on the net over a decade ago, and was also posted in another forum where more details on the project were shared (purported to be from the test manager who organised for this photo to be taken - I think this is Edwards as there is another photo of another aircraft which shows this aircraft in the background.) and that there were similar projects for other types of helo, the OH-58 kit being the most well known, but there were aspirations for a similar type of kit for Apache).
I implied Ft Eustis / FTD (or whatever they're called now) in my previous post regarding discrete facilities, but apparently this was all done between Edwards and Sikorsky.
This is what they were doing in the 80s.
There's a comment in a book about Neptune Spear saying something along the lines of: "I turned a corner and laughed, said to the guys, it's alright, we'll be fine, the air force has given us decepticons to fly in"
Thanks, very insightful and like the quip with decpticons...guess did not mean a Page Low IV pulled out of retirement or the dead lol if anyone has watched Transformers movie opening. Or perhaps meant the CV-22 Osprey which was also in the opening of the film ..
Not having read the book as yet , be very interesting and will find that one liner...however if ‘Air Force’ term used then maybe it was not army Nightstalkers operating the stealth hawk But it AFSOC all along.
Slightly digressing ...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ng-in-colorado
NSDQ..
cheers