F-117A Stealth Fighters

World's first operational jet aircraft using low-observable stealth technology. The F-117A Nighthawk is coated with a secret, radar-absorbent material. The unique design of the single-seat, twin-engine F-117A gives the aircraft exceptional combat capabilities. The jet is equipped with sophisticated attack and navigation systems that are integrated with state-of-the-art avionics. It can deploy a variety of weapons, which are virtually undetectable by enemy air defense systems. The F-117A is capable of high subsonic speeds, and its range is unlimited with air refueling.

The Lockheed Martin Corporation delivered the first F-117A to the U.S. Air Force in 1982. The Air Combat Command's only F-117A unit, the 445th Tactical Group, became operational in October 1983 and became known as the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1989. The stealth fighter was first shown publicly in April 1990.

In 1992, the F-117A Nighthawks were based at Holloman Air Force Base in Florida under the auspices of the 49th Fighter Wing, which maintains and operates the aircraft. Once a Nighthawk pilot completes training, he or she is assigned to the Eighth Fighter Squadron (Black Sheep) or the Ninth Fighter Squadron (Flying Knights). The F-117A first saw action in December 1989 during Operation Just Cause in Panama.

Stealth fighters attacked the most heavily fortified targets during Operation Desert Storm (January–February 1991) in Iraq, and they were the only coalition aircraft allowed to operate inside the Baghdad city limits. The Nighthawk, which usually carries two 2,000-pound GBU-27 laser-guided bombs, was effective in destroying or crippling Iraqi electrical power stations, military headquarters, communication sites, air defense operations centers, airfields, ammunition bunkers, and chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons development facilities.

Thirty-six Nighthawks were deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and conducted more than 1,250 sorties. Although more than 3,000 antiaircraft guns and 60 surface-to-air missiles protected Baghdad, the F-117A controlled the skies over Iraq and remained unscathed by enemy fire.

As part of the NATO forces during Operation Allied Force (1999), Nighthawks conducted more than 400 sorties against the integrated air defense system of Serbia, eliminating 90 targets in Serbia and Kosovo. One stealth fighter was lost over Serbia on March 27, 1999. A U.S. search-and-rescue team rescued the pilot several hours later. In April 1999, an additional 12 stealth fighters were deployed to NATO's Allied Force, bringing a full complement of 36 F-117As to that operation. The F-117A Nighthawks were also used as effective tactical weapons in Afghanistan in 2001 and during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The U.S. military currently has 54 F-117A Nighthawks.