The patriotic decoration of two NASA fighter jets for the 250th anniversary of the USA

This July 4th, the United States of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of its Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The three former WB-57 bombers that NASA uses to capture solar eclipses
NASA's armored vehicles of military origin at the Kennedy Space Center

Although the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a civilian organization, its Armstrong Flight Research Center operates a small fleet of aircraft that includes several fighter jets, all of them with civilian registrations and operated from Edwards Air Force Base, in California, the most important aeronautical research center in the US since the middle of the last century.

Among other aircraft, NASA currently has an F-15B Eagle at Edwards used as a testbed (above, the 836 N836NA, serial number 74-0141) and five fighter jets used for training and capturing photos and videos of NASA flights: two F-15D Eagles (the 884 884NA, serial number 78-0564 and the 885 885NA 84-0045), an F/A-18B Hornet (the 867 N867NA 161947), and two F/A-18D Hornet (the 846 N86NA 161355 and the 862 N862NA 164040, which we can see below). These aircraft have very striking white liveries with a blue stripe and the NAS emblem on the tail fins. Although they are owned by the US federal government, since they are not military aircraft, they do not carry the classic roundels with the white star, which are reserved for aircraft of the Armed Forces.

This Friday, NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center announced that in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, "two of our most iconic aircraft are getting a fresh coat of red, white, and blue! NASA Armstrong’s F-18 and F-15 were repainted in the colors that represent the legacy of determination, service, and unity that define America. It’s more than paint, it’s a tribute to the past and a salute to the future."

The Armstrong Center has published these two photos of the aircraft painting process. Above, we see one of the F-15 Eagles, and below, one of the F/A-18 Hornets.

The livery is certainly spectacular, with red and white bars on the wings and stabilizers and stars on a blue background on the fuselage.

In this last photo we can see the two aircraft chosen for this commemorative decoration: the F/A-18B Hornet (867 N867NA 161947) and one of the F-15D (the 885 885NA 84-0045).

Both aircraft retain the NASA emblems on a white background on the exterior of their tail fins, while on the inside, against a blue background, they display an emblem with the thirteen stars of the original US flag along with the text "Freedom 250." In a time when the vast majority of fighter jets sport boring gray liveries, it's always a pleasure to see such colorful designs.

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Photos: NASA Armstrong.