The F-117A Nighthawk ‘Stealth Fighter’ Has a Message for the Russian Air Force

The F-117A Nighthawk ‘Stealth Fighter’ Has a Message for the Russian Air Force

Key Points and Summary – The F-117A Nighthawk was born from a 1970s panic that Soviet air defenses had made traditional bombers obsolete. Lockheed’s Skunk Works embraced a radical idea: shape an aircraft not for aerodynamics, but to scatter radar energy and slip past defenses. The Have Blue demonstrators proved the math, even if the result flew like a “Wobblin’ Goblin.” -Developed and tested in deep secrecy at Groom Lake and Tonopah, the F-117 r…