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| Country:
USA |
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Type: Attack |
| Manufacturer:
Lockheed |
| Service:
1983 - 2008 |
| First
Flight: 18 June 1981 |
| Production:
64 |
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The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force. The first flight of the F-117A was in 1981, and it achieved Initial Operational Capability status in October 1983. The F-117A was acknowledged and revealed to the world in November 1988.
As a product of the Skunk Works and a development of the Have Blue prototype, it became the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology. The F-117A was widely publicized during the Gulf War of 1991.
The Air Force retired the F-117 on 22 April 2008, primarily due to the purchasing and eventual deployment of the more effective F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
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| TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS ( F-117A) |
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General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 69 ft 9 in (20.08 m)
- Wingspan: 43 ft 4 in (13.20 m)
- Height: 12 ft 9.5 in (3.78 m)
- Wing area: 780 ft (73 m)
- Empty weight: 29,500 lb (13,380 kg)
- Loaded weight: 52,500 lb (23,800 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 x General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofans, 10,600 lbf (48.0 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 0.92 (617 mph, 993 km/h)
- Cruise speed: Mach 0.92
- Range: 930 NM (1720 km)
- Service ceiling 69,000 ft (20,000 m)
- Wing loading: 65 lb/ft (330 kg/m)
- Thrust/weight: 0.40
Armament
- 2 x internal weapons bays with one hardpoint each (total of two weapons) equipped to carry:
- Bombs:
- BLU-109 hardened penetrator
- GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb
- GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb
- GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bomb
- JDAM INS/GPS guided munition
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