Did you know:
- This incredible aircraft was developed gradually starting in 1972. Preparatory design work took place at several American companies such as GE, Northrop, McDonnell, and Boeing, before everything was eventually unified under the leadership of perhaps the most famous group of designers, “Skunk Works”.
- Becoming a member of the Skunk Works team was not easy. Each candidate had to demonstrate deep knowledge in mechanics, modern materials technology, avionics, and aerodynamics. Even when such a super engineer was found, it often happened that they failed the stress test and the Quick & dirty test. Those who passed were the best of the best.
- The sharp, angular shapes of the Nighthawk were not accidental. The angle and size of each surface were carefully calculated to achieve the lowest possible radar cross-section. Rounded shapes were entirely omitted because computational technology in 1972 did not have sufficient capacity for modeling.
- Ironically, the Stealth technology was based on the findings of Soviet scientist Pyotr Ufimtsev, which he compiled in a book titled “The Diffraction of Radio Waves,” and it was precisely this book that made its way into the hands of the engineers at Skunk Works.
- The first flight took place on December 1, 1977, then still under the designation Have Blue. Further development and the construction of four prototypes followed.
- Flight testing of the production aircraft was not completed until 1982.
- Manufacturing costs were extreme, so the designers decided to use several existing components. The engine came from the F/A-18, the flight controls and avionics from the F-16, the landing gear from the A-10, the brakes from the F-15, and the environmental control system from the C-130 Hercules.
- The USAF originally planned to build 100 units, but due to procurement costs only 64 were ultimately produced.
- The F-117s were assigned to the 37th Tactical Wing at Tonopah Airport. The airfield, specially built for the Nighthawks, was invisible to Soviet satellites.
- For the first time, the aircraft were used in combat during the invasion of Panama in 1989.
- In total, the Nighthawks flew over 2,000 combat missions, losing only one aircraft, which was shot down by Yugoslav air defenses on March 27, 1999.
- The shoot-down was aided by an incredible coincidence when Major Zoltán Dani managed to lock onto the Nighthawk for a few seconds as it opened its bomb bay doors. The lock was reportedly achieved with a Czech passive radar system called Tamara.
- Since 2006, the F-117s have been gradually retired to the Air Force reserve, which will keep them airworthy until 2034. Ten aircraft will be transferred to museums.
Technical Specifications:
- Dimensions: wingspan 13.2 m, length 20.08 m, height 3.78 m
- Empty weight 13,380 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight 23,814 kg
- Powerplant: 2× General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofan engines, each 48 kN thrust
- Maximum speed 993 km/h
- Service ceiling 13,716 m
- Fuel capacity 10,732 L
- Range 1,720 km
- Rate of climb 60 m/s
- Primary armament: BLU-109 bombs, GBU-10 Paveway II, GBU-27, or nuclear B61
- Crew 1
Serbian MiG-29 Pilot Velimir Drago (1999):
“During one April night, an F-117 flew over us. For a moment, we glimpsed its diamond-shaped silhouette. It looked like a black board studded with diamonds. We were in complete shock. Our instruments had no idea an enemy aircraft was present. We felt an enormous frustration and humiliation.”
