Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk 'Black Jet' Stealth Bomber Informally Retired

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Yesterday (11/03/08) an official announcement confirmed what has been on the cards for a while in stating that the US’s entire fleet of F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Bombers* have now been informally retired from service.

The news is hardly a shock announcement as it’s well known that the F-117A is an extremely and somewhat notoriously expensive aircraft to maintain and, with military expenditure at a premium, the money saved will purportedly be used for procurement of F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs.

Credit – Yours Truly (RIAT ’07)

Discussed the impending retirement of the F117A with one of the pilots. He had a noticeable tear in his eye.

The F-117A was the first true ‘stealth’ aircraft to see full active service (arguably the SR-71 – also a ‘Skunk Works’ design and long since retired – was ‘stealthy’ but was not a true low-observable stealth) and, during its top secret development at Area 51 was blamed for a spate of UFO sightings on account of its highly distinctive shape (a shape that serves to reflect radar waves away from the aircraft whilst returning only the equivalent radar cross section of an insect to radar stations). Interestingly its angled shape was the result of computers, at the time of the F-117A’s design, not being powerful enough to calculate more fluid forms with stealthy characteristics – such as seen on the B-2 Spirit).

Incorrectly designated as a fighter (hence the ‘F’ designation) the F-117A was a light, precision bomber – and certainly not a fighter – and has seen active service in numerous war zones in the world (not least of which the Gulf War).

If you would like to read up concerning the F-117A you can do so here but we felt somewhat obliged to doff our caps to the world’s first operational stealth as it gracefully bows out of service and becomes mere fodder for the history books.

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