F-19
F-19 is the designation for a hypothetical US 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.
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 Hornet, the next announced aircraft was the YF-20 Tigershark. The USAF proposed the F-19 designation for the fighter, but Northrop requested the "F-20" instead. The USAF finally approved the F-20 designation in 1982.[1] The truth behind this jump in numbers is Northrop pressed the designation "YF-20" as they wanted an even number, in order to stand out from the Soviet odd numbered designations. Despite this, the designations YF-17 and YF-23 were not skipped (although YF-20, YF-17 and YF-23 all were prototypes and didn't enter production phase).[2]
The United States received the first Lockheed F-117 stealth fighter in 1982. During the decade many news articles discussed what they called the "F-19". The Testor Corporation produced a F-19 scale model which did not resemble the F-117, which no doubt pleased those working with the real, secret aircraft.[3] The F-117 designation was publicly revealed with the actual aircraft in November 1988.
Another rumor was that F-19 is really the designation of some other super-secret project, one so black that it will not be revealed for many years.[2]
One more version was part of a deliberate plot by the Air Force to confuse Soviet intelligence by inducing them into expending so much effort in trying to find out information about a plane that does not exist.[2]
Notable appearances in media
- In 1986, the Testor Corporation released a model aircraft kit, calling it the "F-19 Stealth Fighter".[2][4][5] The kit is claimed to be the best-selling plastic model kit of all time.[6]
- Like the Testor Corporation, Monogram models also released the "F-19A Specter" which was based on the design by Loral Inc.[7]
- In his 1986 novel Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy featured the "F-19A Ghostrider" (nicknamed "Frisbee" by the pilots and crew) as a secret weapon used to combat a Soviet invasion of Germany.[2]
- An F-19 was the alternate mode of the Decepticon character Whisper in Marvel Comics' Transformers comic book series during the Transformers: Generation 1 era.[8][9]
- Jane's Information Group 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 "Lockheed 'RF-19'" and "XST".[10]
- MicroProse released the 1987 video game Project Stealth Fighter and the successor 1988/1990 game F-19 Stealth Fighter, both featuring an imagining of the F-19's capabilities, with artwork based on the Testor Corporation model kit. Subsequently the third in the series the 1991 game F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0 allowed players to fly either the more realistic F-117 or the "original" F-19 from the previous games.
- In 1988, an F-19 was released in the G.I. Joe toy line, called the "X-19 Phantom". Included was a pilot codenamed Ghostrider. The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy the "Phantom X-19" was loosely based on the Testor model.[11]
- The 1990 videogame Air Diver featured an "F-119D Stealth Fighter" that strongly resembled the Monogram F-19 model.[12]
See also
Related lists
- 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system
- List of fighter aircraft
- List of military aircraft of the United States
References
- ^ Frey, Lieutenant Colonel William. "The F-20, Saga of an FX."[permanent dead link] Air University Review, May–June 1986.
- ^ a b c d e Richard G. Sheffield (1995). Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. Aerospace. p. 72. ISBN 978-1880588192.
- ^ Jeffrey T. Richelson (July 2001). "When Secrets Crash". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Lockheed F-19 Stealth Fighter (1986)". Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Trenner, Patricia (2008). "A Short (Very Short) History of the F-19". Air & Space magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "A Very Short History of the F-19". Retrieved 2014-06-20.
- ^ "F-19A Specter (1987)". Fantastic Plastic Models. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ "Transformers" #56 (September 1989)
- ^ Jim Sorenson & Bill Forster (July 22, 2008). Transformers: The Ark II. IDW Publishing. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-60010-180-9.
- ^ Taylor, JWR (Editor) (1988). Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988–1989. Jane's Information Group. p. 411. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "GI Joe ARAH PHANTOM X-19 STEALTH FIGHTER".
- ^ "Air Diver rear box art".