Why was the F 117 discontinued?

Why was the F 117 discontinued?

The U.S. Air Force retired the F-117 in April 2008, primarily due to the fielding of the F-22 Raptor. 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.

Who invented the first stealth technology?

Modern era. Modern stealth aircraft first became possible when Denys Overholser, a mathematician working for Lockheed Aircraft during the 1970s, adopted a mathematical model developed by Petr Ufimtsev, a Soviet scientist, to develop a computer program called Echo 1.

What was the F-117 used for?

F-117, also called Nighthawk, 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.

What replaced the F 22 Raptor?

How would the Air Force replace the F-22? The Air Force’s highly anticipated Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, the 6th-generation successor to the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, will be a multi-role platform, with at least two airframe variants optimized for different operational theaters.

Would the F-117 Nighthawk still be useful today?

Lockheed ultimately built a total of fifty-nine F-117As and five YF-117As developmental prototypes. The Lockheed Martin F-117 Nighthawk is a legendary plane. That aircraft was retired in 2008, but would the F-117 still be useful today? The answer is that against most mid-range threats like Iran, absolutely.

What was the F-117 stealth fighter used for?

The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Although it was commonly referred to as the “Stealth Fighter”, it was strictly a ground-attack aircraft.

Why is the F-117 classified as an F aircraft?

The F-117 is primarily an attack aircraft, so its “F” designation is inconsistent with the DoD system. This is an inconsistency that has been repeatedly employed by the U.S. Air Force with several of its attack aircraft since the late 1950s, including the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark.

When did the F-117 have blue first fly?

The resulting aircraft, which used a faceted design to defeat enemy radar—and resembled a subscale version of its F-117 successor—first flew in December 1977. While both of the prototypes were destroyed, the Have Blue program was a stunning success. As such, the Air Force decided to go ahead with the development of the follow-on F-117.