F-117 Nighthawk (Wallpaper 3) aircraft photo gallery | AirSkyBuster

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F-117 Nighthawk (Wallpaper 3). F-117 Nighthawk aircraft photo wallpaper gallery 3. F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft pictures and images collection 3. The 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. Development of the F-117A began in 1978 and it was first flown in 1981, but it was not until 1988 that its existence was publicly announced. The Nighthawk is the world's first operational stealth aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered in 1982 and the last of the 59 Nighthawks procured by the US Air Force was received in 1990. The F-117A aircraft is also known as the Frisbee and the Wobblin' Goblin. The mission of the aircraft is to penetrate dense threat environments and attack high-value targets with high accuracy. F-117 Nighthawk (Wallpaper 3). F-117 Nighthawk aircraft photo wallpaper gallery 3. F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft pictures and images collection 3. Nighthawk has been in operational service in Panama, during Operation Desert Storm, in Kosovo, in Afghanistan and during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The F-117 is being replaced in the USAF by the F-22 Raptor. The first 10 of the 55 F-117 aircraft in service were retired in December 2006. A formal retirement ceremony took place at Wright-Patterson AFB in March 2008. The F-117s are being stored in hangars at an airfield in the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada. The wings and tails are being removed for storage, but some aircraft will be able to be rapidly recalled to flight if required. The last four F-117 aircraft flew to Tonopah on April 22nd 2008. In January 2004, an F-117 successfully released a JDAM (JDAM) 2,000lb bomb for the first time. The integration of JDAM and other precision-guided weapons on the F-117 is coupled with the block II software upgrade and achieved initial operating capability (IOC) in 2006. The Nighthawk is only used for night-time missions. F-117 Nighthawk (Wallpaper 3). F-117 Nighthawk aircraft photo wallpaper gallery 3. F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft pictures and images collection 3.