History of The NightHawk

One of the most remarkable things about the F-117A was that in an open society such
as that of the United States, an advanced combat aircraft could have been designed,
built and entered service in fair numbers, and operated for several years, all in
conditions of almost complete secrecy. There were of course some rumours about a so-called F-19; and
many artists impressions, all of which were highly inaccurate, found their way into print, which aided
security by muddying the waters futher. The NightHawk, as it is unofficially known, started life in 1973 as
a design study codenamed Have Blue, the object of which was to determine to what degree an aircraft
could be made invisible to radar and IR detection systems. The result was two Experimental Stealth
Tactical (XST) prototypes which first flew in mid-1977. Results being satisfactory, the decision to develop
a production aircraft was taken about one year later, and this first flew from Groom Lake (Area 51) in
June of 1981.

Specifications

Origin
Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, (The Skunk Works) Burbank, California

Type
Single-Seat Attack and Defense Suppression Aircraft

Engines
Two 10,800lb thrust GE F404-F1D1 Unaugmented Turbofans

Dimensions
Span 43Ft 4In, Lenth 65ft 11in, Height 12Ft 5Inches, Wing Area 880sq.ft

Performance
(All) Max Speed Mach 0.9, Unrefuelled Range c1,100nm, Endurance

(with inflight refueling) 12 Hours

Armament
Full Range of ISAF Tactical Fighter Ordnance; two 2,000lb BLU-109, GBU-24, GBU-27 LGBs, or
Two AGM-65 Maverick Carried Internally

History
First Flight XST Proof of Concept Aircraft 1978; F-117A 18 June 1981; 59th and Final Delivery
Autumn 1989

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