F-117 Stealth Fighter to Be Retired

AP ^ | March 11, 2008 | JAMES HANNAH

[Joiseydude]

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - The world's first attack aircraft to employ stealth technology is slipping quietly into history.

The inky black, angular, radar-evading F-117, which spent 27 years in the Air Force arsenal secretly patrolling hostile skies from Serbia to Iraq, will be put in mothballs next month in Nevada.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, which manages the F-117 program, will have an informal, private retirement ceremony Tuesday with military leaders, base employees and representatives from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

[papasmurf]

They would have enough to fund 5 more F22’s if Clinton, and his RINO kiss-butts, had closed down a pork barrel AFB instead of George, IMO.

[stainlessbanner]

FR Foxhole Profiles: Kelly Johnson

"Be Quick, Be Quiet, And Be On Time"

[Rummenigge]

if it WAS possible to cut all the bacon - wich country wouldn’t be much better of ?

I guess the US are still a good example in that book.

[Niteranger68]

I like the story that they gave it the “F” (fighter) designation in order to attract the best pilots who didn’t want to fly “B’s” (bombers) which is what the F-117 actually is.

[mad_as_he$$]

Groom lake is shut down for aircraft development. They have moved to Utah and White Sands.

[RetiredArmy]

Now that’s funny right there.

[Tallguy]

They’ve been retiring F-177’s for some time now. This is apparently the last one.

[Tallguy]

Deflecting sound waves was kind of a side property (though Stealth is more than just RADAR observability). The dead bats suggested that a similar approach would be possible to defeat SONAR. Lockheed built the SEA SHADOW as a proof of concept. So far as we know, it never went further than that.

[Stonewall Jackson]

[RobRoy]

So the implication then is that the dead bat thing is legit?

[Robe]

I’ve been rummaging around my fun stuff for 30 mins trying to find that picture.. great minds and all that !!!

[stuartcr]

It’s completely invisible, we’ll never get to see it.

[Fundamentally Fair]

I remember when Jimmie Carter revealed the existence of stealth aircraft. (Stupid POS!)

When was that? I recall it being revealed in 1987 or so.

[CougarGA7]

I remember reading when they were doing cross-section testing on Have Blue (Smaller mock up of the 117) that they had to develop a “stealth pole” to put it on because the radar guys were picking up the pole but not the aircraft.

[em2vn]

Are you sure about that?

[BullDog108]

I stole that photo from some FReeper years ago! Thank G*d for Gmail, it took me one second to find it...

[Quix]

OUR UFO fleet has been flying at least 37 years.

[ArrogantBustard]

ROFL!!!!!!

[Quix]

I don’t consider myself responsible for other folks . . . ill-informed status

unless they are my registered students.

[ArrogantBustard]

I feel sorry for your students.