F-117 Nighthawk: The stealth bomber that went against the grain

The F-117 Nighthawk is an amazing aircraft that is also a very mysterious vehicle. Although their official air force duties ended in 2008, the iconic aircraft is still in service. It still flies because of its unusual powers.

A unique aircraft was launched on 18th June 1981. The design of the machine defied aerodynamics; Instead of having a sleek, smooth fuselage, it was made entirely of flat surfaces that came together to form a strange, angular structure.

This was a necessity brought about by the low processing power of computers at the time, not by chance or the whims of inventors. Because the aircraft’s fuselage was digitally designed, the rounded surfaces and components that make up the machine’s wings and fuselage were restricted.

The F-117 Nighthawk, like many other ground-breaking devices of the era, was built by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, an engineering division where the best engineers were free to work on unconventional aircraft without the constraints of company policies or hierarchies.

Soviet contribution to the F-117

The F-117 was built with Soviet assistance. The reason for this is a scientific study written by Pyotr Ufimtsev, a Russian scientist who developed the Physical Theory of Diffraction (PTD). In this work, he examined how electromagnetic waves are refracted around the edges of obstacles.

The results were published in 1962 in the book “Method of Edge Waves in the Physical Theory of Diffraction”, which was translated into English in 1971, as the USSR did not appreciate the value of this study.

When Lockheed engineer Dennis Overholser saw it, he recognized that Ufimtsev’s study could be used to analyze radar waves hitting the center of an aircraft and create a device that would prevent the radar signal from returning to its source. .

The plane that wasn’t supposed to fly

Because of Overholser’s persistence, the F-117 is what the world has today. There was considerable opposition to the idea of ​​building the machine because it was too avant-garde and unlike anything built before, not even at the Skunk Works.

Kelly Johnson, an engineer who designed aircraft such as the P-38 Lightning and SR-71 Blackbird, was a staunch opponent of the new aircraft. The aviation veteran said Overholser’s proposed aircraft design was not suitable for continued flight.

It was correct to say that no human could fly the Have Blue, the prototype of the F-117 that followed. Thus, a computer was used to adjust the position of the aerodynamic surfaces several times per second, independently of the pilot, based on the flying data.

The fix worked well the “crumpled beverage can” aerodynamics machine could stay in the air and respond correctly to control movements.

Combat trail of the F-117

Just two years after its first flight in 1981, the F-117 Nighthawk was officially entered into service by the US Air Force. Despite being a bomber, it was given the wrong designation (F—from fighter), which meant it was a fighter. A total of 64 units were built, of which 59 were serial variants.

The F-117 fought in the “War on Terror,” attacks on targets in Iraq and Afghanistan, the attack on Grenada, Operation Desert Storm, and NATO’s involvement in the Balkans in subsequent years.

The existence of the F-117 was predicted by aviation enthusiasts and experts in the 1980s even though it was kept secret. But they thought the plane would be named F-19 (for example, in a 1988 computer game that was a flying simulator created by Microprose).

After the F-117’s official existence was confirmed in 1988, experts disagreed on its performance. For example, the Swedes, based on photographs, estimated that the F-117 could reach speeds of Mach 3. This was not true.

F-117 – technical data

The bomber, known as the F-117, is a single-seat aircraft that weighs 53,000 pounds at takeoff, of which more than 4,400 pounds is used for weapons in the internal bay. The aircraft has a wingspan of 43 feet and a length of 64 feet. Its V-tail gives it an unusual aerodynamic shape.

The F-117 is a subsonic aircraft with a maximum speed of Mach 0.92. The aircraft has a 1,864-mile range that can be extended by in-flight refueling and can reach an altitude of 33,000 feet.

Shooting down the F-117

The myth of the “invisible” plane was overshadowed in 1999 when Serbian anti-aircraft forces shot down an F-117 over Kosovo. Their feat is even more surprising when one realizes that they used an anti-aircraft system, the S-125 Neva, which is ancient but still effective, to shoot down American machines.

This was made possible by the Americans repeatedly flying the same route and ignoring safety precautions, as post-incident analysis has revealed. Despite not having enough time to guide the missiles to the target while tracking the F-117, the Serbians were able to determine the plane’s position and determine the area where the American machine had estimated the fire.

A 132-pound bomb detonated close to the aircraft causing severe damage to the aircraft, though no direct hits.

F-17 Nighthawk© Public domain, SSGT JASON COLBERT

The F-117 Nighthawk aircraft is not only exceptional but also a very mysterious machine. Although its service in the Air Force officially ended in 2008, the iconic aircraft have not been grounded. Due to its exceptional capabilities, it continues to fly.

This was neither a coincidence nor a whim of the creators but a necessity arising from the limited computational power of the computers at that time. The shape of the aircraft’s fuselage was modeled digitally, which imposed restrictions on rounded surfaces and the number of elements forming the fuselage and wings of the machine.

Like many other revolutionary machines of its time, the F-117 Nighthawk was developed at Skunk Works—a division of Lockheed Martin where the most talented engineers worked on unconventional aircraft without restrictions from corporate procedures or hierarchies.

Soviet contribution to the F-117

The Soviets helped construct the F-117. This was due to a scientific paper published by Russian physicist Pyotr Ufimtsev, the creator of the Physical Theory of Diffraction (PTD), which studied how electromagnetic waves refract at the edges of obstacles.

F-117 Nighthawk© Public domain

Since the USSR did not see the potential of this research, the results were published in 1962 in the book “Method of Edge Waves in the Physical Theory of Diffraction,” translated into English in 1971.

A Lockheed engineer, Denys Overholser, came across it and realized that Ufimtsev’s research could be used to analyze radar waves striking a flying aircraft and design the shape of the machine so that it reflects the

The plane that wasn’t supposed to fly

The world owes the creation of the F-117 to Overholser’s persistence. The machine was so innovative and different from anything built before that, even at Skunk Works, the idea of its construction met with serious resistance.

The primary opponent of the new aircraft was Kelly Johnson—an engineer responsible for creating aircraft such as the P-38 Lightning and the SR-71 Blackbird. According to this aviation veteran, the aircraft design proposed by Overholser had no right to stay in the air.

It was true; a human could not pilot the Have Blue aircraft, the demonstrator of the later F-117. Therefore, a computer was used to correct—independent of the pilot—the position of the aerodynamic surfaces several times per second based on the flight parameters.

Combat trail of the F-117

The F-117 Nighthawk made its first flight in 1981, and just two years later, it began official service in the American Air Force. Although it was a bomber, it was given a misleading designation suggesting it was a fighter (F—from fighter). A total of 64 units were produced, 59 in the serial variant.

In subsequent years, the F-117 participated in the attack on Grenada, the Desert Storm operation, NATO intervention in the Balkans, and the “war on terror,” attacking targets in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although in the 1980s, the F-117 was secret, aviation analysts and enthusiasts predicted its existence. However, they assumed the aircraft would be named F-19 (which was reflected, for example, in a video game—a flight simulator developed by MicroProse in 1988).

After the F-117’s official existence was confirmed in 1988, experts disagreed on its performance. For example, the Swedes, based on photographs, estimated that the F-117 could reach speeds of Mach 3. This was not true.

F-117 – technical data

The F-117 is a single-seat bomber with a take-off weight of 53,000 pounds, of which just over 4,400 pounds account for the weaponry carried in internal bays. The aircraft is 64 feet long and has a 43-foot wingspan. It has an unconventional aerodynamic design with a V-tail.

The F-117’s maximum speed is Mach 0.92—it is a subsonic machine. The aircraft can reach an altitude of 33,000 feet, and its range is 1,864 miles, which can be extended by in-flight refueling.

Shooting down the F-117

A shadow over the legend of the “invisible” aircraft was cast in 1999 when an F-117 was shot down over Kosovo by Serbian anti-aircraft forces. Their success is even more remarkable, considering they shot down the American machine using an outdated (though modernized) S-125 Neva anti-aircraft system.

This was possible because—as post-incident analyses showed—Americans disregarded precautionary measures and flew the same route multiple times. Although the time during which the F-117 was tracked was too short to guide the missiles to their target, Serbians could estimate the aircraft’s position and fire upon the space where—according to calculations—the American machine was supposed to be.

Although no direct hit was achieved, the explosion of the 132-pound warhead occurred close enough to the aircraft to critically damage its control surfaces and cause the machine to crash. Based on this incident’s experiences, the F-117’s software was modified to keep the aircraft in the air despite the damage.

The F-117 still flies

In 2008, the US Air Force formally retired its F-117 fighter jet. However, the “invisible” equipment was not grounded. At least some of them remained flyable, and in the years since, unconfirmed reports have suggested that F-117s are still flying and conducting some covert missions.

Reports of F-117 sightings around Area 51 added to the aura of mystery. The most recent, classified, are the concepts being tested here that are linked in popular culture to UFO crashes and the US government allegedly possessing undisclosed technical information. It is a US military test facility.

Several machines are rumored to be shipped to the Middle East in 2019; However, the Pentagon has not confirmed these allegations. The fact that the F-117s are still in service wasn’t formally confirmed until 2021—when the latest images surfaced.

For the Pentagon, the F-117 is being used for training. The Nighthawks currently mimic machines that would be difficult for potential US adversaries to detect, such as the Chinese J-20 or the Russian Su-57, with their thin radar cross-sections (that is, surfaces off which radar signals can bounce off). This allows pilots of other US aircraft to train countering stealth jets.

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