In a secluded corner of the Florida panhandle, behind an unremarkable hangar door, an impossible scene unfolds. A sleek F-117 Nighthawk stands motionless, its characteristic angles and radar-defeating surfaces transformed by a ghostly layer of ice. Outside, the merciless summer sun pushes temperatures well past 90 degrees. But within these walls, the temperature plunges to negative 65 degrees Fahrenheit – rivaling the coldest reaches of the Arctic winter.Behind the towering doors of the McKinley Climatic Laboratory, the laws of nature bend to human will. In this vast chamber, the crystalline-coated F-117 is just the latest aircraft to face trials that push advanced military aircraft to their absolute limits. What happens within these walls has shaped the future of military aviation – a closely guarded story where billions of dollars in aerospace technology hang in the balance.