The Air Force Faked a Cargo Flight Over Europe. Austria Investigated-and Found Two Smuggled Stealth Jets.
Yahoo • • world
Key Points:
- In 2002, the U.S. Air Force requested permission to fly a KC-10 tanker over Austrian airspace, but Austria became suspicious when the flight plan and aircraft registration details appeared inconsistent.
- Austrian Air Force fighter jets were sent to investigate and discovered two unapproved F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters accompanying the tanker, violating Austria’s overflight approval.
- The U.S. Air Force likely attempted to conceal the stealth fighters’ presence due to a military buildup in the Persian Gulf region preceding the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- The incident revealed an unusual case of a secretive U.S. military operation being exposed by an international airspace patrol, highlighting tensions around classified hardware movements.
