The mysteries of the elusive F-117 Nighthawk

Do you know which plane was the first true stealth fighter jet?

It was the F-117 Nighthawk, and it has a legendary story. It all began in 1964 when the Soviet mathematician Pyotr Ufimtsev published his seminal work, Method of Edge Waves in the Physical Theory of Diffraction, describing an important discovery about how radar technology worked. For aircraft manufacturers around the world, this was exciting news since the findings in the paper meant even a large aircraft could be engineered to avoid radar detection for reconnaissance missions.

The U.S. government saw a growing need for fighter aircraft that could avoid radar detection mainly due to Soviet radar and anti-aircraft technology growing more formidable in the 1970s. Lockheed's Skunk Works was handed the project, and they embarked on a top-secret black operation known as Have Blue.

Following the failure of multiple prototypes, the F-117 Nighthawk would officially come into existence in 1981, a first in aviation history.

But how well did it perform? What happened once it was released? How did the public react to its existence? And what eventually made it disappear? We answer all these questions and more in our video.

#engineering

[Interestingengineeringofficial]

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[lemmythebulldog]

1977 and still looks like a futuristic fighter plane

[zelmansamuel]

It really made me sad. When I heard about the Night Hawks retirement. I know it was not in service. . But the narrator said it. It made me sad.

[herbertkeithmiller]

The F-117 earned a nickname from the Saudi Arabians who worked beside it in operation desert storm
alshabah, the Ghost.
Which I think is one of the coolest nicknames of what airplane ever.

[exist]

Still to this day, one of the best looking Aircrafts ever built.

[SinSGone]

I just saw one yesterday 2-16-23. Good to see them flying.

[Samuraistar]

I was engaged to one of the original engineers for this aircraft. But unfortunately he died before the wedding. He talked a lot about this airplane a lot. He worked for lockeed from about 1950s to about 1990.

[sfsunitedspace]

Anybody remember thinking that this plane looked speedy as hell but then realized it doesn’t even go half the speed of sound?

[OiVinn-eqml]

One of my favorite jets. It's design & sleekness look so futuristic

[abcnt]

This was the technology they had during the late 70s.. Mind blown.

[baller]

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, subsonic twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology.

The F-117 was based on the Have Blue technology demonstrator. The Nighthawk's maiden flight took place in 1981 at Groom Lake, Nevada, and the aircraft achieved initial operating capability status in 1983. The aircraft was shrouded in secrecy until it was revealed to the public in 1988. Of the 64 F-117s built, 59 were production versions, with the other five being prototypes.

The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Gulf War of 1991. Although it was commonly referred to as the "Stealth Fighter", it was strictly an attack aircraft. F-117s took part in the conflict in Yugoslavia, where one was shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) in 1999. The U.S. Air Force retired the F-117 in April 2008, primarily due to the fielding of the F-22 Raptor.[4] Despite the type's official retirement, a portion of the fleet has been kept in airworthy condition, and Nighthawks have been observed flying since 2009.[5] AVIONICS
The F-117 has quadruple-redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. To lower development costs, the avionics, fly-by-wire systems, and other systems and parts were derived from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, and McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. The parts were originally described as spares in budgets for these aircraft, to keep the F-117 project secret.[citation needed] The aircraft is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems integrated into a digital avionics suite. It navigates primarily by GPS and high-accuracy inertial navigation. Missions are coordinated by an automated planning system that can automatically perform all aspects of an attack mission, including weapons release.[44] Targets are acquired by a thermal imaging infrared system, paired with a laser rangefinder/laser designator that finds the range and designates targets for laser-guided bombs. The F-117's split internal bay can carry 5, 000 pounds (2, 300 kg) of ordnance. Typical weapons are a pair of GBU-10, GBU-12, or GBU-27 laser-guided bombs, two BLU-109 penetration bombs, or two Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) GPS/INS guided stand-off bombs. COMBAT OVER YUGOSLAVIA
Main article: 1999 F-117A shootdown

Canopy of F-117 shot down in Serbia in March 1999 at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade
One F-117 (AF ser. no. 82-0806) was lost to enemy action. It was downed during an Operation Allied Force mission against the Army of Yugoslavia on 27 March 1999.[56] The aircraft was acquired by a fire control radar at a distance of 8.1 mi (13 km) and an altitude of 5.0 mi (8 km). SA-3s were then launched by a Yugoslav version of the Soviet Isayev S-125 "Neva" (NATO name SA-3 "Goa") anti-aircraft missile system.[56][57][58] The launcher was run by the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade under the command of Colonel Zoltán Dani.[59]

After the explosion, the aircraft became uncontrollable, forcing the pilot to eject.[56] The pilot was recovered six hours later by a United States Air Force Pararescue team.[56][60] The stealth technology from the downed F-117 may have been acquired by Russia and China.[61] The U.S. did not attempt to destroy the wreckage; senior Pentagon officials claimed that its technology was already dated and no longer important to protect.[28]

American sources state that a second F-117 was targeted and damaged during the campaign, allegedly on 30 April 1999.[62][63] The aircraft returned to Spangdahlem base, [63] but it supposedly never flew again.[64][65] The USAF continued using the F-117 during Operation Allied Force.[66]

[Genieprep]

That is pretty amazing. Engineering at its finest!

[adithyansunil]

man Lockheed surely knows how to build good jets, the f22 raptor, f117 nighthawk, SR 71 blackbird, and the hypersonic darkstar in top gun maverick 🔥🔥🔥

[erichpizer]

it is was and always will be a true legend . it was love at first sight for me

[Rodrigodrt]

Let's face it, the f117 has the coolest looking exhaust ever

[sqnbandit]

Never used as a fighter. It was primarily a bomber.

[grahamgallick]

Sonic booms are no issue for stealth. I consider the lancer an early stealth bomber because it could come in slow drop a payload big enough to blow a hole and create the lakes for the U.A.E. and then fly away really fast. I was a kid when I first realized it because of watching the bombing of Baghdad on TV. You saw a shit ton of explosions and then the anti aircraft guns going off but by then the lancer was landing

[matts]

If only planes were named by the soldiers:
F-117 Wobbly Goblin

[Turtisland]

6:00 this reminds me of when the U.S . Got hold of a Japanese Zero airplane in WW2 and learned its weaknesses.

[andihaka]

Ofc serbians would shot it down, having precise information from the french filoslavs about the location of deployment, flight trajectory, altitude and target.Not to mention the technical information and knowabout delivered by the russians.