The BAE/US Navy DC-9-31 known as Firebird II has finally taken to the skies again after a couple of years of storage on the Mojave ramp.
N932ML flew originally for Ansett, then for Spirit and Midway Airlines before being acquired by the Navy in 1998 and modified by Raytheon with an oversized radome and enough antennae to do a decent porcupine imitation. As can be expected, BAE's press relations office is mum on the bird ("What plane?" was the actual response), which is quite odd given the civilian registration, the rather glitzy paint and logo, and the parking spot right next to the Voyager Restaurant's picture windows. No one will talk about its mission, although the antennas are similar in type and layout to the Army's Airborne Reconnassaince Low aircraft.
N932ML flew originally for Ansett, then for Spirit and Midway Airlines before being acquired by the Navy in 1998 and modified by Raytheon with an oversized radome and enough antennae to do a decent porcupine imitation. As can be expected, BAE's press relations office is mum on the bird ("What plane?" was the actual response), which is quite odd given the civilian registration, the rather glitzy paint and logo, and the parking spot right next to the Voyager Restaurant's picture windows. No one will talk about its mission, although the antennas are similar in type and layout to the Army's Airborne Reconnassaince Low aircraft.