This picture was taken by an official Air Force photographer, and was released to the public through the base Public Affairs Office (PAO).

@testforce reviews: The BAF isn’t a training facility, but rather a test facility. There is nothing secret about the way it was constructed – an anechoic chamber in China looks about the same as one in the United States. Why? Because the RF Absorbent Material (RAM) that is used in each chamber is designed to eliminate reflections and suppress signals that aren’t from the subject under test, from the equipment, and from emissions outside the chamber itself.

@Justin Lapp – the FAA controls all the airspace in the United States, so they want to make sure that if the Global Hawk will be flying in the same airspace as Cessnas and Bonanzas and Gulfstreams, it’s not going to run into another aircraft…therefore it must meet some of the same rules that any other airplane must meet. I’ve worked on certifying airplanes to FAA standards for companies, military organizations and even individuals. As a pilot, I agree that I don’t want something in the same airspace that I’m in that doesn’t meet some minimum requirements.

Tours of Edwards AFB are always available; the museum is on the base itself and the tours are usually available through the PAO office.