The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, subsonic, twin-engined, 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 …

The Lockheed F-117A was developed in response to an Air Force request for an aircraft capable of attacking high value targets without being detected by enemy radar. By the 1970s, new materials and techniques allowed engineers to design an …

Discover the F-117 Nighthawk, the world's first operational stealth aircraft, revolutionizing aerial warfare with its innovative capabilities and iconic design.

Jul 20, 2020 · F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter attack aircraft was developed by Lockheed Martin after work on stealth technology, and the predecessor test demonstrator aircraft, Have Blue, was carried out in secret from 1975.

On 27 March 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia amid the Kosovo War, a Yugoslav Army unit shot down a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft of the United States Air Force by firing a S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile. It was the first ever shootdown of a stealth technology airplane.

•The first F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group (renamed the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in October 1989), achieves initial operational capability. (October 1983) •The F-117 is used in combat for the first time in Operation Just Cause when F-117s from the 37th TFW attack military targets in Panama. (December 1989)

Mar 30, 2025 · F-117, single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter-bomber built by the Lockheed Corporation (now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation) for the U.S. Air Force. It was the first stealth aircraft—i.e., an aircraft designed entirely around the concept of evading detection by radar and other sensors.

Aug 10, 2020 · The F-117A was developed in response to an Air Force request for an aircraft capable of attacking high value targets without being detected by enemy radar. By the 1970s, new materials and techniques allowed engineers to design an …

Sep 15, 2017 · The first U.S. warplane constructed entirely on top-secret stealth technology remained the most invisible and most deadly aircraft in the world until the Air Force retired it on April 22, 2008, replacing it with the F-22 Raptor and soon the F-35.

The F-117A Night Hawk, the world's first stealth fighter. A comprehensive history of the F-117A program from conception through current operations. www.f-117a.com