The united state Flying force planned in 2024 to license the F- 117 A Nighthawk to be able to refuel from the KC- 46 A Pegasus, the service’s latest vessel.
2 F- 117 Nighthawks have been spotted while refueling from a KC- 46 Pegasus vessel on Sept. 30, 2025 The vessel, callsign “Medusa 80 Heavy,” and the two stealth competitors, callsign “Knight 01,” were flying southbound over the Los Angeles location, headed towards the ranges off the coast of The golden state.
The photos were shared on X by freelance news photographer Matt Hartman, who kindly permitted us to include them in this write-up. These are potentially the first images of the KC- 46 refueling the F- 117 considering that the announcement of the qualification effort.
Actually, as we reported in September 2024 right here at The Aviationist , the U. S. Flying force was intending to accredit the F- 117 A Nighthawk to be able to refuel from the KC- 46 A Pegasus. Although the F- 117 was officially retired in 2008, the stealth jet continued to fly unofficially from Tonopah Test Range (TTR) airfield in Nevada, and the service’s present plan is to keep the aircraft flying at the very least till 2034
c/s KNIGHT 01 FLT of 2!!!!
— Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) October 1, 2025
The KC- 46, departed from McConnell Flying force Base, Kansas, was tracked on ADS-B, which showed the route of the flight. After showing up in The golden state, the tanker orbited north of Edwards AFB, where it performed a rendez-vous with the F- 117 s.
MDUSA 80 (KC- 46 wkg JOSHUA CONTROL to pick up NIGHT 01 flt (F- 117 out of Bridegroom Lake/Area 51 because Tonopah Test Array is still shut per NOTAM.
Sound by means of @liveatc and tracking by means of @ADSBex https://t.co/tcyb 9 oOR 9 F pic.twitter.com/ 2 GEcd0iNRZ
— Thenewarea 51 (@thenewarea 51 October 1, 2025
It is uncertain where the Nighthawks departed, as obviously their trip could not be tracked. However, we previously reported that a number of F- 117 s might be operating out of Groom Lake while the TTR landing field is shut for jobs.
The F- 117 s were perhaps headed towards the Point Mugu Sea Variety. The tanker was, in fact, tracked while orbiting south of San Clemente Island, which is contemporary of the southeastern edge of the array.
KC- 46 Certification with the F- 117
In September 2024, the U. S. Flying force introduced it was intending to license the F- 117 A Nighthawk to be able to refuel from the KC- 46 A Pegasus, the service’s newest vessel. This development complied with the Ask for Information (RFI) for a 10 -year agreement to keep the airplane flying at least till 2034
The increased activity is also according to the public acknowledgment of the F-117’s procedure adhering to the retired life, with the very first official images because the retirement launched in 2021 The capacity of the F-117 to be refueled by the KC-46 absolutely mirrors this will certainly to keep the Nighthawk flying for ten even more years.
It is uncertain when the accreditation of the KC-46 with the F- 117 took place. Nevertheless, we can claim the test project was possibly carried out over the Nevada Test and Training Array( NTTR), where the F-117 s mainly operate, and where the chances of being detected during the tests are reduced.
The F-117 A after 2008
Years after being formally retired, F- 117 s are still flying not just for training objectives as enemy aircraft and cruise ship rocket surrogate, but likewise for research, advancement, test and evaluation, possibly pertaining to future generation programs The circumstances of the Nighthawks being seen became far more constant, with a variety of pictures also officially launched by the Air Force.
According to of the Country Defense Consent Act(NDAA
)of 2007, 52 F-117 airplane were retired and moved to the Tonopah Examination Variety (TTR). Each aircraft was preserved in Type -1000(T- 1000 storage, which keeps the aircraft in a problem that enables recall for future solution. In 2016 it was decided to begin divesting some of the aircraft.
As of January 2023, of the 59 F-117 s developed, about 45 F-117 s were in the supply, with more than 10 already approved for transfer to galleries. The existing disposal rate is just in between two and three jets annually, as opposed to 4 per year introduced in 2017
The airplane continued to be spotted, a lot more than it had actually happened till then, with the Nighthawks additionally deploying to a number of United state bases The renowned stealth jet, after the veil of privacy was, at least partly, raised, and the discoveries have boosted, still continues to catch the rate of interest of several air travel enthusiasts, and it will remain to do so for the near future.