Radar-equipped F-117

[SOC]

#784 was trialled with a radome and variant of the B-1B's radar system. Has any other information on this project, or any images of the test configuration, ever turned up? This is said to be the forerunner of the Raptor's radar mounting.

 

[flateric]

Sean, you are coming back and immidiately smashing my head off.
I will die of curiosity, you shouldn't tell such things=)

 

[SOC]

It's mentioned in Aronstein and Piccirillo's excellent AIAA publication "HAVE BLUE and the F-117A: Evolution of the Stealth Fighter". Images of most of the other modifications or test configurations (like the extended dogtooth wingtips) have been published, nearly all of which can be viewed in Mailes' and Landis' F-117A Photo Scrapbook, but this one seems relegated to a few ines of text in the AIAA work. Perhaps it remains classified due to the F-22 connection? Whatever the case, it's interesting that this seems to be a forgotten or overlooked bit of the F-117A development program, much like the AIM-9 ground firings.

 

[quellish]

#784 was trialled with a radome and variant of the B-1B's radar system. Has any other information on this project, or any images of the test configuration, ever turned up? This is said to be the forerunner of the Raptor's radar mounting.

As far as I know, there were two programs to fit the F-117 with radar that resulted in hardware. One is probably the one you're thinking of, which would have fitted the F-117 with a radome that replaced everything forward of the cockpit. I have not heard of this having been flown.
The radar I did hear had flown was integrated into the nose, with the antennas near the air data system. This was one radome/antenna on each side, and not very large. The radar itself had at least some components from a cruise missile program.

I'd have to find the sources again. I do recall a late 1990s Air International article that mentioned the radar program that flew.