If it is just a Nighthawk, they could leave it out in the open. I've
photographed  them at Groom Lake during daylight hours.

My understanding of the TTR is whatever is special about the aircraft
won't be easy to see. That is, they will fly something conventional,
but use different hardware. Those white trucks entering the base
probably carry jet engines or avionics.

If the airframe itself is experimental, I'm sure it is flown at night.
Maybe at the TTR, but probably at Groom. The problem with using the TTR
for blatantly experiment projects is there are many DOE employees on
base.

Jeb  Hoge wrote:

I really think it's a side-on (with the nose slightly biased toward the
camera) view of a Ghost Grey-painted Nighthawk with its tailplanes
missing.  It looks like the tails stop right at the rudder joint, which
would be the logical place that the tailplanes could be removed.  That
white blur appears to be quite some distance behind the jet.  And
realistically, the Tonopah staff isn't going to leave a black program
airframe sitting out on the tarmac during daylight hours anyway.