The US Navy has released photos of two F-35C aircraft featuring distinctive mirror-like coatings. The photos were taken during flight tests, though there’s some uncertainty about the exact date. According to DVIDS, the images were captured on April 28, 2025, while the photos’ EXIF data lists August 30, 2022, as the actual date. The jets, bearing tail numbers BuNo 168733 XE-100 and BuNo 168842 XE-105, had previously been used for testing new coatings.
Details of the mission remain unclear, with captions only stating that VX-9 pilots were conducting unspecified flight and test operations at Naval Base Point Mugu.
“F-35C jets assigned to the ‘Vampires’ of the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9) are carrying out flight and test operations at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu,” the post states.
These could very well be older photos of the aircraft that had not been released until now. It’s known that the F-35C designated XE-105 was photographed arriving at Point Mugu airbase to take part in various tests. In a notice to local residents, officials stated that around 50 aircraft would be conducting daily flights from August 22 to September 2, 2022. Additionally, images of the XE-105 with a mirrored coating at Point Mugu airfield have already surfaced online. That photo was taken on August 22, 2022, during the Gray Flag exercise, but wasn’t published until a year later, on July 12, 2023.
Recently, the service issued a notice to pilots reserving a large section of airspace through April 29. Such reservations aren’t unusual, as the area is regularly used for various training and testing activities. Based on the available photos, the testing also involved F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18 Growlers, and at least one F-117 Nighthawk.
The coatings applied to the two U.S. Navy F-35C jets appear similar to those seen in the past. They’re designed to avoid covering access panels, weapon bays, sensor and antenna zones, hatches, and other critical areas. The coating seems to have been applied over the standard gray F-35C paint scheme, and its appearance changes depending on the viewing angle. The placement of the coating resembles what has previously been observed on the F-22, including small mirrored tiles on the nose, weapon bay doors, fuselage, and both the inner and outer surfaces of the twin vertical stabilizers.
Many theories have arisen regarding the origin of these coatings, but there has been no official confirmation of any of them so far. The most likely theories involve testing related to IRST (InfraRed Search & Track) technologies or target guidance systems.
At one point, a pilot from the U.S. Air Force’s 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron mentioned in an interview that these coatings were experimental solutions being tested to determine if they help maintain the aircraft’s stability and reliability. A similar reason was also suggested by an F-35C pilot. If the pilot’s explanation was correct, it would contradict one of the most likely theories, namely the reduction of the aircraft’s infrared emissions.
Mirrored coatings have been observed during tests for several years, with the first one being spotted on the F-22 Raptor in November 2021. The reflective metal coating covered most of the aircraft’s body, leaving noticeable panel lines. In the same year, the F-117 was also photographed with a mirrored ‘paint job’ during a flight in a military operational area in California. It covered the front, top of the fuselage, and tail section of the aircraft.
The following year, two F-35C jets with a new coating were also spotted, both assigned to VX-9, and in 2023, an F-35C from the 125th Strike Fighter Squadron was photographed with a mirrored coating during its transition to the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). This time, the coating was not applied to the entire surface, and it can only be seen on both sides of the tail fin and wings.
Source: theaviationist
