Post by ukron on Oct 9, 2023 15:07:21 GMT
Project Moonflower, or how the F-117 came close to flying the British flag.
We've seen how close the RAF came to obtaining F-14s and B1s from the Americans, but what's less well known is London's involvement (or at least what the Americans would have liked from the British) in the Moonflower project during the '80s.
The arrival in power of two "inflexible" conservatives in London and Washington should logically have precipitated a new era of increased cooperation between the RAF and the USAF, but this was not to be.
In 1986, while the RAF was still grappling with the setbacks of the Tornado program, Caspar Weinberger made a blunt proposal to Margaret Thatcher for British participation in the "black" F-117 program, with London buying a variant of the iconic Skunk Works aircraft: the F-117C, modified with British avionics and EJ200 engines.
To be honest, the British weren't too keen on the idea of participating in a "black" USAF program, and rejected the American proposal out of hand.
We've seen how close the RAF came to obtaining F-14s and B1s from the Americans, but what's less well known is London's involvement (or at least what the Americans would have liked from the British) in the Moonflower project during the '80s.
The arrival in power of two "inflexible" conservatives in London and Washington should logically have precipitated a new era of increased cooperation between the RAF and the USAF, but this was not to be.
In 1986, while the RAF was still grappling with the setbacks of the Tornado program, Caspar Weinberger made a blunt proposal to Margaret Thatcher for British participation in the "black" F-117 program, with London buying a variant of the iconic Skunk Works aircraft: the F-117C, modified with British avionics and EJ200 engines.
To be honest, the British weren't too keen on the idea of participating in a "black" USAF program, and rejected the American proposal out of hand.
Sources: theaviationgeekclub.com/in-1980s-the-us-offered-the-uk-the-chance-to-buy-the-f-117-nighthawk-stealth-fighter-to-equip-raf-squadrons-but-the-british-mod-declined-the-proposal-heres-why/
ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ronald-reagan-offered-britain-f-117-stealth-aircraft/
fertigmodelle.ch/standmodelle-metall/flugzeuge/franklinmint/f-117/
ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ronald-reagan-offered-britain-f-117-stealth-aircraft/
fertigmodelle.ch/standmodelle-metall/flugzeuge/franklinmint/f-117/
