Northrop YF-117D Tacit Blue 1:164 scale

Northrop YF-117D Tacit Blue in 1:164 scale.

From Wiki:

"The Northrop Tacit Blue is a technology demonstrator aircraft created to demonstrate that a low-observable stealth surveillance aircraft with a low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR) and other sensors could operate close to the forward line of battle with a high degree of survivability.

Development

Unveiled by the U.S. Air Force on 30 April 1996, the Tacit Blue Technology Demonstration Program was designed to prove that such an aircraft could continuously monitor the ground situation deep behind the battlefield and provide targeting information in real time to a ground command center.

…

Tacit Blue was given the cover designation of "YF-117D" by the Air Force.

Design

Tacit Blue, nicknamed "the whale" (and sometimes also called an "alien school bus" for its only slightly rounded-off rectangular shape), featured a straight tapered wing with a V-tail mounted on an oversized fuselage with a curved shape. It was the first stealth aircraft to feature curved surfaces for radar cross-section reduction. Northrop would use this stealth technology on the B-2 bomber. A single flush inlet on the top of the fuselage provided air to two medium-bypass turbofan engines. Tacit Blue employed a quadruply redundant digital fly-by-wire flight control system to help stabilize the aircraft about its longitudinal and directional axes."

Remixed from GreeblerElf's Thingiverse model.  The original model cockpit was sliced off and elongated, then respliced back into the fuselage to maintain scale.  Scaled to 1:164.  Sliced and settings tweaked for better printing.  A 1-piece print didn't seem feasible with this design, so unfortunately glue will be necessary.

Printed in Bambu PLA Basic Grey, painted and detailed with acrylic markers by my in-house 12yo airplane enthusiast.

If you liked this print, please check out my other scale prints. Feedback, thumbs up, and/or boosts would be very appreciated! Thank you!