F-117 Nighthawk
F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter
F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter
F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter
F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter
The F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, developed in total secrecy, was the first operational platform to employ what is known today as "stealth." Its startling, unconventional shape clearly signified the arrival of a new era in fighter performance through low-observable technology.
Operation Desert Storm first saw the potential of an aircraft that could penetrate dense threat environments at night. Comprising 2 to 3 percent of coalition forces, the F-117 accounted for 30 to 35 percent of first-night targets and hit rates of 75 percent in Desert Storm to over 90 percent in Operation Allied Force. The F-117 also sustained the highest mission-capability rates of any deployed fighter or bomber in both conflicts, exceeding 82 percent.
While the USAF retired the F-117 on 22 April 2008 it continues to symbolize the innovative thinking of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works®
See more F-117 Nighthawk Photos on Flickr
Have Blue
The Have Blue program was conducted to demonstrate and validate that radar signatures sufficiently low to negate battlefield air defense threats could be achieved in a practical flight vehicle. Two aircraft were developed in the mid-1970s by Lockheed using IR&D funds. The Have Blue program led to the development of the successful F-117A.
