YF-118G Bird of Prey Is the Stealth Fighter Most History Books Forgot

YF-118G Bird of Prey Is the Stealth Fighter Most History Books Forgot

Key Points and Summary – Built in secrecy at Area 51 in the 1990s, Boeing’s YF-118G “Bird of Prey” was a low-cost stealth demonstrator that flew just 38 sorties before the Pentagon revealed it in 2002. Costing $67 million, the jet relied on off-the-shelf parts—Beech King/Queen Air gear, a Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5C, a Harrier ejection seat (and, as one pilot joked, a Wal-Mart clock)—to prove ideas cheaply. YF-118G Bird of Prey at USAF Museum 2025.…