F-117 Nighthawk Retires (Stealthily)

May 20, 2008 — The F-117A was the world’s first fighter that was virtually invisible to enemy radar. So it seems somewhat fitting that its official retirement last month was virtually invisible to the general public. The Los Angeles Times reported that on April 22 the last four of the F-117A Nighthawks made their final flights from Palmdale to the Tonopah Test Range Airfield in Nevada, where they were locked up indefinitely in a secure concrete hangar. The F-117A is still so cloaked in secrecy that only employees and retirees who worked on the program attended its retirement ceremony at Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Skunk Works plant in Palmdale. A few aerospace reporters were also invited, but they had to be U.S. citizens. "Some aspects of the plane are still classified," Dianne Knippel, spokeswoman for Lockheed, told the Los Angeles Times. During the retirement ceremony, Lockheed Martin President Ralph Heath lauded the employees who made the aircraft a reality. “Today marks an historic tribute to this great aircraft and to the thousands of Lockheed Martin employees who helped develop and maintain this aircraft to the highest levels of readiness and mission success,” he said. “From its first flight in 1981 through more than 20 years of operational service that includes deployment in three major conflicts, the stealth capabilities of this jet have revolutionized air warfare.” The single-seat F-117 was the first plane that could evade radar detection. It was designed to fly into heavily defended areas to knock out radar installations and anti-aircraft missile batteries, clearing the way for other fighters and bombers. It was also used to destroy military command and communication centers. Fifty-nine Nighthawks were built at a cost of $45 million each. The F-117 first flew in combat during the 1989 Panama invasion that led to the capture of dictator Manuel Noriega. F-117s were also among the first aircraft to strike targets in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is being replaced by the F-22 Raptor.		The last four of the F-117A Nighthawks line up at the Tonopah Test Range Airfield in Nevada before they are officially retired. They are being replaced by the F-22 Raptor. Photo credit: Bob Driver Hundreds of employees, retirees and guests in attendance signed the bomb-bay doors of four F-117s on display and received signed posters from participating “Bandits,” as the F-117 pilots were called. Photo credit: Bob Driver See the F-117 on YouTube Click here to view the Air Force News Agency video.

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