F-117 NightHawk "Stealth"
The Lockheed F-117A was
developed in response to an Air Force request for an aircraft capable of
attacking high value targets without being detected by enemy radar. By the
1970s, new materials and techniques allowed engineers to design an aircraft with
radar-evading or "stealth" qualities. The result was the F-117A, the world's
first operational stealth aircraft.
The unique design of the
single-seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. About the size of
an F-15 Eagle, the twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404
turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. Air
refuelable, it supports worldwide commitments and adds to the deterrent strength
of the U.S. military forces.
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The first F-117A flew on June 18, 1981, and the
first F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group (renamed the 37th Tactical Fighter
Wing in October 1989), achieved initial operating capability in October 1983.
The F-117A first saw combat during Operation Just Cause on Dec. 19, 1989, when
two F-117As from the 37th TFW attacked military targets in Panama. |
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The F-117A can employ a variety of weapons and is
equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems integrated into a
state-of-the-art digital avionics suite that increases mission effectiveness and
reduces pilot workload. Detailed planning for missions into highly defended
target areas is accomplished by an automated mission planning system developed,
specifically, to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the F-117A. |
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The F-117A again went into action during Operation
Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991 when the 415th and the 416th squadrons of the
37th TFW moved to a base in Saudi Arabia. During Operation Desert Storm, the
F-117As flew 1,271 sorties, achieving an 80 percent mission success rate, and
suffered no losses or battle damage. A total of 59 F-117As were built between
1981 and 1990. In 1989 the F-117A was awarded the Collier Trophy, one of the
most prized aeronautical awards in the world.
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The first F-117A was delivered in 1982, and the
last delivery was in the summer of 1990. The F-117A production decision was made
in 1978 with a contract awarded to Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, the
"Skunk Works," in Burbank, Calif. The first flight was in 1981, only 31 months
after the full-scale development decision. Air Combat Command's only F-117A
unit, the 4450th Tactical Group, (now the 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman Air Force
Base, N.M.), achieved operational capability in October 1983. |
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Streamlined management by Aeronautical Systems
Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, combined breakthrough stealth technology
with concurrent development and production to rapidly field the aircraft. The
F-117A program has demonstrated that a stealth aircraft can be designed for
reliability and maintainability. The aircraft maintenance statistics are
comparable to other tactical fighters of similar complexity. Logistically
supported by Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan AFB, Calif., the F-117A
is kept at the forefront of technology through a planned weapon system
improvement program located at USAF Plant 42 at Palmdale, Calif. |
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After 25 years of storied service, the F-117
Nighthawk, the Air Force's first stealth fighter, is about to retire. The
technology that once made it a unique weapon system has now caught up to it and
newer fighter aircraft are now joining the fleet. Still, the Nighthawk was the
first of its kind, a fact anyone who has spent time around the aircraft is quick
to point out. |
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The Air Force is saying goodbye to the F-117, but not to the effect it has had
on modern warfare. Its successor, the F-22 Raptor, will continue the fight the
Nighthawk started, which, according to retired Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, one of
the first F-117 pilots, is a hard job to fill.
"Whenever its nation called, the F-117 answered, providing capabilities that had
never been known before," he said. "If we needed the door kicked in, the stealth
was the one to do it. Never before had such an aircraft existed."
Modern technology may have caught up with the F-117, and new aircraft may be set
to take its place on the tarmac, but none will ever be able to replace it.
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TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: Up to 5,000 lbs. of assorted internal
stores
Engines: Two General Electric F404-F1D2 engines of
10,600 lbs. thrust each
Crew: One
Maximum cruise speed: 684 mph
Range: Unlimited with aerial refueling
Ceiling: 45,000 ft.
Span: 43 ft. 4 in.
Length: 65 ft. 11 in.
Height: 12 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 52,500 lbs. maximum
source information : USAF |
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