![]() In the early 1970’s the United States Air Force (USAF) approached Lockheed with a stealth concept for a first strike aircraft. The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was proposed by Skunk Works Director Kelly Johnson and his assistant Ben Rich. It is this revolutionary design that gives the F-117 a radar cross-section of about 0.001 m2 (0.0108 sq ft), which is about the size of a small bird on a radar screen. Because of these design considerations and no afterburner, the F-117 Nighthawk is limited to subsonic speeds. This is due to lower engine thrust and losses in the inlet and outlet, a very low wing aspect ratio and a high sweep wing angle of 50° degrees as mentioned earlier. The F-117 Stealth Fighter is a ground attack aircraft that is NOT very maneuverable because of a high sweep wing angle of 50° degrees needed to deflect incoming radar waves.Īnother disadvantage to stealth technology is the F-117’s speed and performance. Stealth technology has its advantages and disadvantages such as sacrificing performance for stealth. It is her unique design that made her stealth capabilities possible. The F-117 was specifically designed to be the world’s first invisible plane and defeat any enemy radar system. Although the F-117 is designated “F” for fighter, she is a ground attack aircraft only and NOT a dog fighter. She carried 500-2000 pound laser-guided bombs designed for hardened targets such as underground bunkers and aircraft hangers. Most of the optically aimed AAA and infra-red SAMs were located on the outskirts of the city making it possible for other aircraft to hit targets inside the downtown Baghdad area.į-117 Nighthawk – Wings Over the Gulf: First Strike Part (2/4)ĭuring the Gulf War in 1991, the F-117 logged in approximately 6,905 flight hours scoring direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets while flying 1,300 sorties in Iraq. The F-117 was the only aircraft that the coalition would risk over Baghdad because it was so heavily defended. Later reports were scaled back to a 41–60% success rate which is still pretty impressive. On the first night of the war, it was reported that the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk hit 80% of their designated targets with zero combat losses. With her stealth technology, she was easily able to penetrate enemy airspace undetected and strike her targets with laser like precision. She was the aircraft that fired the first shots of Desert Storm and lead the way into the most heavily defended city in the world at that time, Baghdad. The F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter was made famous for its role during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. ![]()
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