The Jedi Transition has become a Mecca for aviation photographers from around the globe, with all types of aircraft being snapped while maneuvering dynamically through Rainbow Canyon, also commonly referred to as "Star Wars Canyon." And sometimes rare aircraft make an appearance , but in the case of photographer David Atkinson, he didn't just catch an atypical type of aircraft, he caught a flying ghost of sorts.

At first glance the Block 30 F-16D pictured above, serial number 86-0052, may look like any other F-16, but upon closer examination its registration and the unique equipment it carries makes it clear that it is anything but.

On the right intake "chin" station, the F-16 carries an infrared search and track (IRST) pod. You can learn all about what an IRST is and how they are being introduced onto American fighter aircraft in this past in-depth post of mine. But in summary, they have the ability to detect and discriminate enemy aircraft targets at relatively long ranges in a passive in manner. In other words, they don't emit detectable electromagnetic energy like radar waves in order to detect an aircraft from afar, instead they do so by sensing the aircraft's infrared signature, which is especially tough to hide for fast-flying, high-performance fighters—even stealthy ones.

The F-14D was the last American tactical aircraft to fly with an operational IRST. Modern iterations of the system reemerged six years after the Tomcat's retirement, appearing only one time, mounted on an F-16C belonging to the 64th Aggressor Squadron during a Red Flag exercise. Since then the Super Hornet program has added an IRST to their upgrade pathway which is now underway. New production Strike Eagle export variants also feature the "Tiger Eyes" IRST mounted above their targeting pod.

The USAF is slated to equip some of its "Golden Eagle" F-15Cs with a podded IRST system, with both Lockheed's Legion Pod and Northrop Grumman's similar offering competing for the contract. In the end the Legion Pod won. The F-15C/D's Talon Hate communications node pod program also includes an IRST in its forward bay.

What all these initiatives and systems have in common is that they all feature the same IRST sensor—Lockheed's IRST21 based on an upgraded version of the AN/AAS-42 IRST that equipped the F-14D.

So what is this random F-16 doing carrying an IRST pod that doesn't really exist in the USAF's inventory? That has to do with where it is likely based.

86-0052 is more or less a ghost. It has not been traced to a base for nearly a decade according to F-16.net and no photos of it have been taken for quite some time, at least as far as we can tell, yet the airframe is active. Block 30 "big inlet" F-16Ds are known to fly without any base markings out of Groom Lake, otherwise known as Area 51. These aircraft are clearly seen in satellite photos and have even been photographed flying around the Nellis Range Complex, often carrying a white instrumentation pod on its wing rail along with other pods, including electronic warfare systems. They have been seen sparing with Su-27s flown by the highly secretive Red Hats squadron, but their primary use is likely to chase test articles and document their flights, and to provide a sensor platform for evaluating different aspects on new and exotic designs.