{"id":779,"date":"2023-02-04T19:45:59","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=779"},"modified":"2023-02-04T19:45:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T19:45:59","slug":"f-117-nighthawk-the-emergence-of-stealth-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=779","title":{"rendered":"F-117 Nighthawk: The Emergence of Stealth Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Peter Suciu<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, Serbia \u2014 located near the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport \u2014 is quite an unusual sight, as its primary facility is a geodesic glass building. To employ an overused media clich\u00e9, it has the look of something out of\u00a0The Jetsons<\/em>, which is fitting as the museum also houses the components of perhaps one of the most \u201cfuturistic\u201d military aircraft to see widespread service.<\/p>\n

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In the early 1980\u2019s, the Air Force Flight Test Center teamed with Lockheed to complete the development test and evaluation of the F-117A stealth fighter. Image:\u00a0U.S.A.F.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The sight of that plane is also not without some controversy as it is a United States F-117 Nighthawk, serial number 82-0806, named \u201cSomething Wicked.\u201d The advanced aircraft was shot down during the NATO bombing of Serbia by a unit of the former Yugoslav Army, the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Brigade. Though the F-117 Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft designed to employ stealth technology, the fact that it could be taken down by ground-based air defenses highlights the fact that stealth doesn\u2019t mean \u201cinvisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
An F-117 Nighthawk engages its target and drops a GBU-28 guided bomb unit during the \u201clive-fire\u201d weapons testing mission COMBAT HAMMER, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The downed warbird\u2019s wreckage was salvaged by the Yugoslavian forces and, while there had been concerns at the time that it could be provided to Russia, it was soon noted that the aircraft\u2019s technology actually dated back to the 1970\u2019s. As the F-117 was regularly presented at air shows at the time, it was determined that there was minimal risk of the Kremlin gleaning much from it.<\/p>\n

Stealth Attack Aircraft<\/h2>\n

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was developed by the company\u2019s secretive Skunk Works division (officially the Advanced Development Projects) where its teams have also produced such noteworthy aircraft as the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lighting II. However, the Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
F-117 stealth fighter aircraft of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing stand on the flight line with canopies raised following their return from Saudi Arabia where they took part in Operation Desert Storm. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was also the result of lessons learned during the Vietnam War where increasingly sophisticated Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) had downed United States Air Force heavy bombers. In addition, the losses suffered by the Israeli Air Force to Soviet-made SAM\u2019s in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 further highlighted that the attack aircraft could be easily shot down by such weapons.<\/p>\n

The F-117 was developed with the utmost secrecy in the 1970\u2019s, and made its first flight in 1981, entering service in 1983. However, it wasn\u2019t until 1988 that the Air Force officially acknowledged its existence. That was likely good news for its pilots, as it meant the aircraft could be flown during the day instead of just at night when it couldn\u2019t be readily seen by the public.<\/p>\n

A total of 64 \u2014 including five YR-117A prototypes and 59 F-117As \u2014 were produced. Only the one now in Serbia was ever officially lost in combat.<\/p>\n

A Mislabeled Warrior?<\/h2>\n

The Nighthawk played a crucial role in 1991\u2019s Gulf War, flying some 1,300 sorties and scoring direct hits on a reported 1,600 high-value targets. It also highlighted that despite the fighter \u201cF\u201d designation, the F-117 was really an \u201cattack aircraft\u201d that wasn\u2019t meant to engage with other fighters.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
U.S.A.F. SSgt Shawn Canionero maintains flight line security while an F-117 Nighthawk is refueled. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That designation has confused aviation buffs since it was officially unveiled to the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cSupposedly it was because the pilots didn\u2019t want to fly a bomber,\u201d explained Fred Bell, vice chairman of the Palm Springs Air Museum, which recently restored the F-117A serial number 85-0833 \u201cBlack Devil\u201d for display.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was also lot of misdirection with the aircraft,\u201d Bell added. \u201cIf the Russians had learned of it, the \u2018F\u2019 designation might have thrown them off on what it could actually do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
Air-to-air side view of an F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter during a training mission in January 1991. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, there are numerous \u201cmulti-role\u201d aircraft in service that can serve as both a fighter in an air superiority role and still engage ground targets. The F-117 may not have been a dogfighter, but that was never the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the military services have been flexible with traditional designations for a variety of platforms,\u201d suggested Brad Curran, aerospace & defense principal consultant at international aviation analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, who added that a number of other factors were likely at play.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPersonalities and culture perhaps at the time,\u201d pondered Curran. \u201cAttract a greater number of pilots from the fighter community? The ability to get funding from other programs or new funding from Congress because fighter line items are bigger?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another consideration is that by the time the F-117 was developed, the role that fighters had played changed significantly.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
Crew members at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, prepare an F-117 Nighthawk aircraft for deployment to Operation DESERT STRIKE. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe days of \u2018knife fighting\u2019 in the sky were long gone and ended with the Korean War,\u201d said Bell. \u201cThe United States saw that over the horizon was how most aircraft would engage with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Best of the Era<\/h2>\n

The F-117 may look \u201cfuturistic\u201d even by today\u2019s standards, yet it was still very much developed as the original\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0hit the big screen, and when disco balls were in vogue.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
U.S.A.F. SSgt John Chandler receives a quick debrief from pilot Capt. Lou Alden after flying a mission in his F-117 aircraft at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea (ROK). Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As there was a focus on stealth, and the Nighthawk was shaped to deflect radar signals, it resulted in an aircraft that was far from easy to fly. It was actually aerodynamically unstable in all three aircraft principal axes, and this required constant flight corrections from its BAE Systems Aircraft fly-by-wire (FBW) flight system that was integrated to maintain controlled flight. Before each flight, mission data was downloaded onto the F-117\u2019s IBM AP-102 mission control computer, which was networked with the navigation and flight controls that provided a fully automated flight management system.<\/p>\n

After takeoff, the pilot could hand over the flight control to the aircraft\u2019s management system until within visual range of the target \u2014 when the pilot could take control for weapons delivery. The pilot was further aided with an infrared acquisition and designation system (IRADS) that was also integrated with the weapons delivery system. The pilot would be presented with a view of the target on the aircraft\u2019s head-up display, first from the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and downward-looking infrared (DLIR) displays.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
A 37th Tactical Fighter Wing F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft lands during Operation Desert Storm. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is actually all the more impressive that the quadruple-redundant FBW flight controls \u2014 among other systems \u2014 were derived from several existing aircraft. The parts were even described as \u201cspares\u201d in various budget requests to help keep the program a secret.<\/p>\n

Even though it was developed by utilizing existing components, it is still arguably among the best of the Cold War designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it was\/is a very good airplane, leveraged advanced materials, radar cross-section-absorption, radar dissipating angles developed before widespread and advanced computer modeling and simulation, the fact it remained secret for so long. Did great in combat, especially the opening night of the first Gulf War,\u201d said Curran.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
A KC-10 Extender refuels a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk on August 29, 1996. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Its stealth may have been developed back when Gerald Ford and then Jimmy Carter occupied the White House, but it was clearly ahead of its time. It was far from a traditional-looking aircraft even by today\u2019s standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven today, some radar still can\u2019t see it,\u201d said Bell. \u201cIf you look at the physical design, it was really an ingenious innovation, and proved to be the first practical stealth aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Than Stealth<\/h2>\n

It would also be all too easy to dismiss the Nighthawk\u2019s capabilities to mere stealth \u2014 even if as shown by Something Wicked, it could still be seen by those on the ground.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
An F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter takes off for a mission from Kunsan Air Base, Korea (KOR). Image: U.S.A.F.\/SSgt Michael\u00a0Holzworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBecause of its shape and design, the F-117 also proved very difficult to see on Infrared,\u201d Bell noted.<\/p>\n

The Nighthawk was also among the first attack aircraft to utilize smart bomb technology, which took accuracy to another level entirely. Much like a sniper with \u201cone shot, one kill,\u201d the F-117 proved to do the same with much larger ordnance.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
A1C Robert Armstrong helps LtCol James E. Brown, an F-117 pilot, prepare for departure from Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH 1998. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYou could almost put a bomb through a window. That meant you didn\u2019t need to have an entire section of bombers,\u201d Bell continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Internal bomb bay that could carry laser-guided ordnance, especially the ground penetrators,\u201d Curran added. \u201cAdvanced in-flight navigation and targeting mapping, advanced EW (electronic warfare) suites to discover and avoid adversary anti-aircraft missiles, more time to discern and hit targets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
A1C Frank Quijano, from the 49th Maintenance Squadron, inspects the cockpit of his F-117 Nighthawk during an Operational Readiness Inspection on Nov. 3, 2004. Image: U.S.A.F.\/TSgt James\u00a0R.\u00a0Hart\u00a0Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of that was in full display during the 1991 Gulf War.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it had been used in a war with the Soviet Union, it would have been deployed to decapitate its forces by going after command and control,\u201d said Bell. \u201cThat is certainly what happened in Iraq, as the F-117 went after their command targets. It decapitated Iraq almost immediately. That was as close to how it would have been used against the Soviet Union.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"marshaling\n<\/picture>
SSgt David Owings communicates with Maj Joe Bowley during a preflight check of this F-117 stealth aircraft in preparation for redeployment after the Gulf War. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even after the one aircraft was shot down over Serbia, the F-117 was employed again in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 in Afghanistan, and then in 2003\u2019s Operation Iraqi Freedom. The loss of Something Wicked in Serbia had caused the Air Force to improve the tactics employed with the F-117, while its pilots took part in additional training with other units.<\/p>\n

\"f-117\n<\/picture>
A pair of F-117 Nighthawks assigned to the 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Wing launch at dawn at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH 1998. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The F-117 has largely been retired from service, but Congress ordered that all F-117s mothballed after September 2006 be maintained so that they could be returned to service. Even those aircraft are now being fully demilitarized while several have been sent to museums. Yet, a few of the cutting-edge aircraft have still been retained for training purposes, making the rare appearance in the skies every now and then.<\/p>\n

As a footnote to the story of Something Wicked, the aircraft\u2019s pilot, Lt. Colonel Darrell Patrick \u201cDale\u201d Zelko survived and eventually met with Zoltan Dani, commander of the anti-aircraft battery that shot down his plane. The former Serbian commander opened a bakery and through his son contacted the retired Air Force pilot. The two eventually met up and didn\u2019t just \u201cbreak bread,\u201d but reportedly baked some together at Dani\u2019s bakery.<\/p>\n

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By Peter Suciu The Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, Serbia \u2014 located near the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport \u2014 is quite an unusual sight, as its primary facility is a geodesic glass building. To employ an overused media clich\u00e9, it has the look of something out of\u00a0The Jetsons, which is fitting as the museum also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}