F-117 Stealth Fighters May Finally Head to the Boneyard

War is Boring ^ | 4/29/16 | Robert Beckhusen

[Yo-Yo]

America’s F-117 stealth fighter has been in a state of limbo. In 2008, the U.S. Air Force officially retired the black, angular warplanes but they never entirely went away. For eight years, the radar-evading aircraft have rested in climate-controlled hangars at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

Here’s why — when the F-117s retired, Congress required the Air Force to maintain some of the planes in case they were ever needed in a future war. The flying branch even kept flying a handful, most likely as guinea pigs for stealth-penetrating sensors … or some other mysterious hardware.

Well, that shouldn’t continue for much longer. This week, the House Armed Services Committee voted to remove the requirement that certain F-117s “be maintained in a condition that would allow recall of those aircraft to future service.”

That would allow the Air Force to finally send the Nighthawks to the sprawling Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, according to Flight Global, and will likely permanently end the F-117 as an airplane capable of operations. In other words, scrapped.

Although the dry desert conditions in Arizona are ideal for keeping aircraft viable, Flight Global reports the Nighthawks will “probably be torn apart or less likely, scavenged for hard-to-find parts.” Due to the sensitive nature of the Nighthawk’s stealth technology, it would not be surprising for the Air Force to dismantle and bury them. A few will surely make attractive museum pieces.

So ends the world’s first operational stealth aircraft.

Although dubbed a fighter with the “F” designation, the Nighthawk was exclusively a ground-attack aircraft designed to slip past radars and anti-aircraft missile systems.

The development and combat history is a major story in itself, as the F-117 took a mere 30 months to design — lightning fast for an at-the-time cutting-edge military aircraft. It would later see action over Panama, Iraq and Serbia. Sixty-four were built including five prototypes — and one was shot down over Serbia in 1999.

Because of its mark on history, the F-117 is iconic, although considerably less practical today. Knowing nothing about the warplane and just going by its still futuristic looks, it’d be hard to guess it’s more than 30 years old.

F-22s and B-2s — both stealth warplanes — fill in for the Nighthawks today. And the United States plans to produce thousands of stealthy F-35 multi-role fighters in the coming years plus a new hard-to-detect bomber … the B-21.

Yes, it’s sad to see the F-117 go. But keeping them flyable and in climate-controlled hangars is asking a bit much.

[Vinnie]

They need to go to Israel.

[Telepathic Intruder]

For a long time, this is what was widely assumed the stealth fighter would look like:



You could even buy the plastic model as if it was already in existence. When I bought the F-19 stealth fighter game, the F117 had recently been shown to the world, and they included a conversion tool with the floppy disks to make it look like the actual plane.

The game did require some skill. The object was to sneak low and slow under the radar and try not to get lit up. When you got close enough to the target, you fired your ordinance and got out quick, avoiding AAA if possible.

[vladimir998]

I’ve always been confused as to when it can and can’t be used. I actually learned something by looking that up today. But all of that just means I’m racist apparently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlMG5rtwFVg

[Telepathic Intruder]

She says that "grammar snobs" tend to be older, wealthier, and whiter than the people they treat with condescension. Do I detect a bit of racism in her condescension? Seriously, though, I don't mind a little constructive criticism.

[Conan the Librarian]

I liked the deep missions where you had to attack the Sub pens. That was a hard mission.

[Conan the Librarian]

Clancy had Larry Bond to help him.

Clancy was great at telling a story, but, Bond is a wargamer. He can recreate a battle on paper!

[Telepathic Intruder]

I remember that vaguely... I’m just not into gaming like I used to be, although I think virtual flying is a lot like riding a bike. It stays with you.

[TalonDJ]

Did you know that the prototype the F-117 was based on actually did have sloped in tails? It is pretty clear if you see it that the popular concepts of the F-19 were based on in part on a leak.

[mad_as_he$$]

Nope the cat was out of the bag - if you were paying attention.

http://www.f-117a.com/792.html

[Lazamataz]

THAT IS TOTALLY PHOTOREALISTIC!

[Telepathic Intruder]

I assumed it was some sort of leak at the time because everyone knew we had a stealth fighter even though it was top secret. They even supposedly knew what it looked like. I wasn’t expecting the boxy-shaped F-117 though. It doesn’t even look like something that can fly.

[TalonDJ]

The radar evading math behind the design actually came from a Russian but they (at the time) did not have the computer technology that would make it able to fly.

[Yo-Yo]

Hey, that was cutting edge state-of-the-art color graphics in 1987, in an era when the IBM PC was still using monochrome monitors and ASCII graphics characters.