page_title: 4450th Tactical Group
section_title: Origins
hierarchical_section_title: 4450th Tactical Group / History / Origins
caption_attribution_description: English: Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk 79-10780 in hangar just before the first flight of an F-117, June 1981
context_page_description: The 4450th Tactical Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and operationally located at Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. It was inactivated on 5 October 1989.
  The United States Air Force F-117A Stealth Fighter program began on 15 October 1979 with the activation of the Tactical Air Command 4450th Tactical Group at the Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. The 4450th Tactical Group was a pathfinder unit, moving the F-117A from the research and development stage to becoming a fully operational weapons system.
  On 10 November 1988, the Air Force officially announced the F-117A's existence to the public, and set the 4450th on the road to inactivation. On 5 October 1989, its F-117A aircraft, equipment personnel and mission were transferred to the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing was transferred from George Air Force Base, California, to carry out the F-117's sensitive worldwide mission.
context_section_description: Meanwhile, Tactical Air Command (TAC) decided to set up a group-level organization to guide the F-117A to an initial operating capability. That organization became the 4450th Tactical Group (Initially designated "A Unit"), which officially activated on 15 October 1979 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.  Its first home was an isolated corner of Nellis known as the Lake Mead Base, officially designated Nellis Area Two.  Officially activated on 15 October 1979, by early 1980 a handful of officers and enlisted men recruited into the program and were told that they were laying the groundwork for a unit whose mission would be to run avionics tests and evaluations for A-7D Corsair II weapon systems.
  Eight A-7D aircraft were transferred from England AFB, Louisiana in June 1981, which was converting to the A-10 Thunderbolt II.  The A-7s were given the "LV" tailcode (for Las Vegas) and had a dark purple/black paint motif. The aircraft were assigned nominally to the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing and in addition, the group acquired the prototype A-7K two-seat dual control trainer from Edwards AFB (73-1008) that had been converted from its original A-7D configuration in 1978. In doing so, the group became the only active-duty unit to fly the A-7K.  The first order of business was to set up acceptance procedures for the aircraft and develop an A-7D training program.
  The A-7 had been chosen as an interim trainer because its cockpit layout and avionics were considered similar to those in the F-117. It was also a single-seat attack fighter, as the F-117 programmed to be.  Training demands, however, soon forced the 4450th to delegate initial A-7D training and checkouts to the Arizona Air National Guard 162d Fighter Wing at Tucson, which was responsible for training Air National Guard pilots in the aircraft.  Pilots assigned to the 4450th required a minimum of 1,000 fighter hours, and nearly all of the initial cadre for the F-117 were A-7D pilots due the similar flight characteristics of the A-7D and F-117.    Initially pilots in the program were sent to the 152nd Fighter Squadron, Arizona Air National Guard at Tucson for a quick refresher course in A-7Ds that included academics, simulator time and six or seven flights to re-qualify them in the Corsair.    When other fighter pilots began to be assigned, they were assigned to either a three or six-month course. depending on their experience in fighters.    
  These operations continued at Nellis until 15 October 1982 under the guise of an avionics test mission when the Corsairs were moved north to Tonopah Test Range Airport to provide a cover story for the increased activities at the airport. Flying squadrons of the 4450th TG were the 4450th Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "I Unit") activated on 11 June 1981, and 4451st Tactical Squadron (Initially designated "P Unit") on 15 January 1983.  The 4450th TS, stationed at Groom Lake, was the first F-117A squadron, while the 4451st TS was stationed at Nellis AFB and was equipped with  A-7D Corsair IIs painted in a dark motif, tail coded "LV".  Lockheed test pilots put the YF-117 through its early paces.  A-7Ds was used for pilot training before any F-117A's had been delivered by Lockheed to Groom Lake, later the A-7D's were used for F-117A chase testing and other weapon tests at the Nellis Range
  15 October 1982 is important to the program because on that date Major Alton C. Whitley, Jr. became the first 4450th TG pilot to fly the F-117A. Everyone aware of the top-secret flight waited with an expectancy reminiscent of the early space launches.  Though Major Whitley could remember scrambling from an alert pad at night as a young lieutenant in South Vietnam, it is doubtful that he was any more keyed up in combat than he was on that night, sitting in an operational F-117A at the end of the runway. The flinty sparkle of the stars in the desert sky seemed to accentuate the vast blackness, reminding him that night operations were always scary.  Finally cleared for takeoff, Major Whitley pushed the throttles forward and scanned the F-117’s instruments for any warn
caption: FSD-1, later F-117A 79-10780 inside a hangar prior to the first flight of the Nighthawk, June, 1981.
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