Nellis Special Project Corsairs

[Old Viper Tester]

In early 1981, A-7Ds started showing up on the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing ramp next to the 422nd Fighter Weapons Squadron parking lines. These jets were unusual in that they carried no identifying unit markings and their presentation of the USAF serial numbers on the vertical tail were in very small numbers.

 

A few of us with access to the 422 and weapons school lines caught the first few jets on film in the first week that they were there. Then someone realized that too many people had access to the jets and that area of the ramp got its own security identifier and access was no more when the remaining four or five jets showed up. All we were told was that these jets were at Nellis for a Special Project and nothing more.

 

The rest of the story was that these jets were the initial equipment for the 4450th Tactical Group, the unit providing initial and continuation training for the F-117 unit at Tonapah range. There wasn't anything special about the jets, the security measures were to minimize access to the maintainers and aircrew that were later to go up range to play with Black Jets. The jets moved up range after a couple of months and were not seen again. When the F-117s were officially revealed to the world, these were the A-7s that appeared in Euro One camouflage carrying the 4450th unit shield and the "LV" tail code.

 

(Apologies for the color cast on the first two images, wasn't able to remove it with Photoshop without making the rest of the image weird.)

 

69-6198

 

69-6201

 

69-6244

 

70-1023

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

Edited May 19, 2018 by Old Viper Tester

[Hook]

Interesting stuff - thanks! I have a "LV" A-7D on my wish list, but 1/72nd decals seem quite rare these days.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Red Dot]

Interesting story Sven,

 

cheers

andy