F-19
Encyclopedia
F-19 is a designation for a hypothetical United States
fighter aircraft
that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified
.
, the next announced aircraft was the F-20 Tigershark
. Northrop had requested the "F-20" designation, but the USAF proposed F-19 instead. The USAF finally gave approval for the F-20 designation in 1982. There have been a number of theories put forth to explain this omission, but none have ever been confirmed.
The most prevalent theory in the 1980s was that "F-19" was the designation of the stealth fighter
whose development was an open secret
in the aerospace community. When the actual aircraft was publicly revealed in 1988, it was called the F-117 Nighthawk
. There seems to be no evidence that "F-19" was ever used to designate the Nighthawk, although the National Museum of the United States Air Force
website does include the entry "Lockheed F-19 CSIRS (see F-117)" as of 2011. Another theory suggests that F-19 was the designation applied to the Have Blue technology demonstrator which led to the development of the F-117.
The GI Joe: A Real American Hero toy the Phantom X-19 was loosely based on the Testor model.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified
Classified information in the United States
The United States government classification system is currently established under Executive Order 13526, the latest in a long series of executive orders on the topic. Issued by President Barack Obama in 2009, Executive Order 13526 replaced earlier executive orders on the topic and modified the...
.
History
Since the unification of the numbering system in 1962, U.S. fighters have been designated by consecutive numbers, beginning with the F-1 Fury. F-13 was never assigned to a fighter due to superstition, though the designation had previously been used for a reconnaissance version of the B-29. After the F/A-18 HornetF/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
, the next announced aircraft was the F-20 Tigershark
F-20 Tigershark
The Northrop F-20 Tigershark was a privately-financed light fighter, designed and built by Northrop. Its development began in 1975 as a further evolution of Northrop's F-5E Tiger II, featuring a new engine that greatly improved overall performance, and a modern avionics suite including a powerful...
. Northrop had requested the "F-20" designation, but the USAF proposed F-19 instead. The USAF finally gave approval for the F-20 designation in 1982. There have been a number of theories put forth to explain this omission, but none have ever been confirmed.
The most prevalent theory in the 1980s was that "F-19" was the designation of the stealth fighter
Stealth Fighter
Stealth Fighter is an action film released in 1999. The film stars Ice-T, Costas Mandylor, Erika Eleniak, Sarah Dampf, William Sadler, Ernie Hudson, and Andrew Divoff.-Film synopsis:...
whose development was an open secret
Open secret
An open secret is a concept or idea that is "officially" secret or restricted in knowledge, but is actually widely known; or refers to something which is widely known to be true, but which none of the people most intimately concerned are willing to categorically acknowledge in public.Examples of...
in the aerospace community. When the actual aircraft was publicly revealed in 1988, it was called the F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
. There seems to be no evidence that "F-19" was ever used to designate the Nighthawk, although the National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
website does include the entry "Lockheed F-19 CSIRS (see F-117)" as of 2011. Another theory suggests that F-19 was the designation applied to the Have Blue technology demonstrator which led to the development of the F-117.
Cultural references
- In the 1983 Chevy ChaseChevy ChaseCornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
film Deal of the CenturyDeal of the CenturyDeal of the Century is a 1983 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin and starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver.The film follows the adventures of several arms dealers that compete to sell weapons to a South American dictator....
, Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
' character "Ray Kasternak" piloted an F-19 in a dogfight against an autonomous drone fighter.
- In 1986, the Testor CorporationTestor CorporationTestor Corporation is a manufacturer of model kits, tools, and accessories based in Rockford, Illinois and is part of RPM International.- Beginnings :...
released a model aircraftModel aircraftModel aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
kit, calling it the F-19 Stealth Fighter.
- Like the Testor Corporation, Monogram modelsMonogram modelsMonogram has been a premier maker of scale models of aircraft, spacecraft, ships, cars, and military vehicles since the early 1950s. The company was formed by two former employees of Comet Kits, Jack Besser and Bob Reder...
also released the F-19A Specter which was based on the design by Loral Inc.
- In his 1986 novel Red Storm RisingRed Storm RisingRed Storm Rising is a 1986 techno-thriller novel by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond about a Third World War in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces, set around the mid-1980s...
, Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
featured the F-19A Ghostrider (nicknamed "Frisbee" by the pilots and crew) as a secret weapon used to combat a Soviet invasion of Germany. This vehicle was considerably more capable than the F-117, being a supersonic fighter rather than a subsonic precision bomber. The F-19A as described in the book featured underwing hardpoints for various ordnance, including air-to-air missiles and BLU-107 DurandalBLU-107 DurandalNamed for a mythical medieval French sword, the Durandal is a bomb developed by the French company Matra , designed to destroy airport and airfield runways.-Overview:...
runway-cratering bombs. The aircraft also has circular wings instead of angular ones, hence the nickname.
- Jane's Information GroupJane's Information GroupJane's Information Group is a publishing company specializing in transportation and military topics.-History:It was founded by Fred T...
published an incorrect entry on the F-19 in their aviation reference, Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1986-1987. In addition to the fictitious artwork, the 1987-1988 and 1988-89 editions lists the aircraft as the "LockheedLockheed CorporationThe Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
RF-19" and "XST".
- In 1988, MicroproseMicroProseMicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
released a computer game entitled F-19 Stealth FighterF-19 Stealth FighterF-19 Stealth Fighter is a combat flight simulator released in 1988 and 1990 by MicroProse, featuring a fictional United States military aircraft...
, the first computer simulation of stealth air combat.
- In 1988, an F-19 was released in the G.I. JoeG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
toy line, called the X-19 Phantom. Included was a pilot codenamed Ghostrider.
- The 1990 videogame James Bond 007: The Stealth AffairOperation StealthOperation Stealth, also known as James Bond 007: The Stealth Affair in the United States, is an adventure game from Delphine Software International, released in 1990...
featured the "F-19" as the captured stealth fighter stolen during a testflight at NAS Miramar that ends up in a fictional Latin American country called Santa Paragua, where James Bond is sent to retrieve it.
The GI Joe: A Real American Hero toy the Phantom X-19 was loosely based on the Testor model.