John Cole’s Tennessee: Bird of Prey

John Cole’s Tennessee: Bird of prey

Boeing Spent $67,000,000 of Its Own Money Building the YF-118G Bird of Prey Stealth Aircraft. It Flew 38 Times on Landing Gear From a Beech King Air and an Ejection Seat From a Harrier.

Boeing paid for the YF-118G Bird of Prey out of its own pocket — roughly $67,000,000 — to prove that an all-aspect stealth aircraft could be built for a fraction of what the B-2 Spirit cost. It flew 38 times between 1996 and 1999 at Area 51, on landing gear adapted from Beech King Air and Queen Air light aircraft, an ejection seat from a Harrier, and a single commercial Pratt & Whitney business jet engine. One test pilot joked the clock came fro…