Overview
The F-117 Nighthawk was the world's first operational aircraft designed around stealth. Its strange shape of flat, angled panels reflects radar waves away from the enemy instead of back towards it.
Kept secret until 1988, it flew at night against heavily defended targets in Panama, the 1991 Gulf War and over Yugoslavia, where one was shot down in 1999. Despite the "F" in its name it was really a bomber, with no gun and no radar. It officially retired in 2008, though some are still flown for training and tests.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Length | 20.09 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 13.21 m |
| Height | 3.78 m |
| Wing area | 73.0 m² |
Weights & fuel
| Empty weight | 13,380 kg |
|---|---|
| Max. take-off weight | 23,814 kg |
Performance
| Max. speed | 993 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max. Mach | Mach 0.92 |
| Range | 1,720 km |
| Service ceiling | 13,716 m |
Crew & capacity
| Crew | 1 |
|---|
Powerplant
| Engines | 2 |
|---|---|
| Engine model | GE F404-F1D2 |
| Thrust (each) | 48.0 kN |
Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Armament
- Two internal bays, each holding one 900 kg-class guided bomb such as the GBU-27
Did you know?
The faceted shape was chosen because 1970s computers could only calculate radar reflections from flat surfaces.
Photos
No photos yet
