It was made obsolete by the new stealth technology.
Posted on 11/02/2006 4:16:00 PM PST by NucSubs
Stealth jet quietly slips into history F-117A fighter retired after 25 years Cutting-edge design cloaked in mystery Nov. 2, 2006. 12:54 PM BILL TAYLOR FEATURE WRITER
Almost as furtively as it flew above war zones from Bosnia to Baghdad, America's F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter has retired from active duty.
The years had snuck up on it. Though it remained cutting-edge contemporary in many people's minds, the Nighthawk had hit the quarter-century mark. At a discreet "Silver Stealth" ceremony at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico this week, some of the people who built, serviced and flew the plane marked the end of its 25-year career.
Much of the F-117A's innermost workings remain top-secret but it was outstripped by newer, even more space-age technology. All that remained was its public image. Its successor, the F-22 Raptor, appeared on the last day of the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto in September, its first foray outside the United States. The Raptor looks more like a conventional jet than the F-117A and didn't cause much excitement, other than among hard-core aviation buffs. When the Nighthawk made its Toronto debut in 1993, as it whispered over Ontario Place the crowd went crazy, pointing and yelling, "Stealth! Stealth!"
I was at this air show. I remember the woman behind me saying, "It looks so sinister."
It was made obsolete by the new stealth technology.
Maybe the Air Force just wants you to think the F-117 is retired.
It was detected in Bosnia and shot down...
Maybe the Air Force just wants you to think the F-117 is retired.
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Not a bad thought
LOL!
I'm suprised your the first person on this post to mention that. I personally think a new generation of weapons are now available that are unmanned, more stealthy, and possibly the existence of some space based platforms, that make this jet antiquated. Time will tell.
Sure, but I believe that had a lot to do with flying the same flight path too many times and with ground observers in Italy who would notify the Serb military of take-offs (if you know approximately when the aircraft will reach your airspace and its approximate flight path then even stealthy aircraft can be vulnerable. Doesn't mean it has no military value now, but as noted above the maintenance costs are very high and we now have the F-22s which are much better.
I suspect it's a pretty awful airplane by current standards, with the performance severely compromised to get the needed stealth characteristics. Remember what dogs the first-generation 'desmogged' cars were? Like that.
Think what is retired???
Everybody's older than their grandchild!
It was revealed somewhat earlier by President Carter in a campaign speech as a look at what great things the Democrats are doing for national defense ploy. It made the Pentagon angry as it could have been kept secret much longer.
Okay, I'll bite. What was the first?
Wow, the years go by fast. My brother-in-law who specializes in polymer chemistry, helped develop the composits for this magnificent beast.
Let us hope they don't destroy the tooling on the C-17, like Boeing did on the 717 (DC-9 w/ P & W 2500's.
And I thought it would be Laz who asked that first. The most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life? My daughter's ultrasound at 14 weeks.
ping.
Actually, they were destroyed because Grumman wasn't willing to pay for storing them.
Cheney offered the Navy money for the F-14 Bombcat TWICE--in FY89 and FY90. The Navy turned him down, so he figured that they wanted to terminate the program.
When the SECDEF offers money for your program, TAKE IT!
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