Boeing Invests $67 M in Low‑Cost Stealth Demo Using Beech King Air Gear

In a late‑1990s experiment, Boeing built the YF‑118G Bird of Prey, a stealth demonstrator that never carried weapons or set records. The aircraft rode on landing gear borrowed from a Beech King Air, and Boeing financed the entire $67 million out of its own pocket. The program, launched by McDonnell Douglas’s Phantom Works division, was a proof‑of‑technology effort to show that a stealth platform could be designed and constructed on a tight budget and within a short timeline. The project underscores that advanced stealth capabilities can be pursued without the massive costs traditionally associated with fighter development, offering a potential model for future low‑budget defense projects.