The Nevada Aerospace Hall of Fame (NVAHOF) is pleased to announce the recognition and enshrinement of the 4450thTactical Group (TG), as a unit, as the Class of 2021. The 4450th TG was activated on October 15, 1979, headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, and was physically located at Tonopah Test Range Airport. The 4450th TG was tasked with the operational development of the F-117A stealth fighter, known as the Nighthawk. The Air Force denied the existence of the aircraft until November 10, 1988, when Assistant Secretary of Defense J. Daniel Howard displayed a grainy photograph at a Pentagon press conference. The unit was inactivated on October 5, 1989, when the no longer secret F-117A squadrons were reorganized and relocated to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.
The pandemic has created obstacles everywhere, especially regarding event planning for many organizations including the NVAHOF. A decision was made in 2020 to posthumously induct Amelia Earhart and not hold the annual ceremony and banquet, opting for virtual enshrinement. Although the nation appears to be moving in the right direction, pandemic safety is still of utmost concern and consideration for the NVAHOF’s Board of Directors. The organization has recently decided in the utmost of precautions to again not hold an in-person banquet for 2021. The plaque for the 4450th will be enshrined in the NVAHOF display at McCarran Airport in November as usual. In-person recognition for 4450th TG alumni is currently being coordinated to be held in conjunction with the Stealth Fighter Association reunion being planned in Las Vegas for the spring of 2022.
NVAHOF Director T.D. Barnes commented, “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.” When the Air Force officially announced the F-117A’s existence to the public, it set the 4450th on the road to inactivation. “Nevadans have not forgotten the 4450th, a unit shrouded in secrecy for most of their existence, and we look forward to honoring them and helping to preserve their contributions to the aviation heritage of our state and the nation.”
The NVAHOF is further planning for the fall of 2022 and a return to their usual annual dinner and in-person ceremony.
Contact: Connie May Communications Director
775-530-2297
Jeffrey R. Wedding, Secretary
702 306-2979
NVAHOF is a non-profit organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
NVAHOF membership is open to any individual or organization, public or private, interested in preserving the history of aerospace in Nevada.