Similar
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II lands on Okinawa,
Pax ITF returns to HMS Queen Elizabeth for DT-2, week
The first F-35C Lightning II sortie takes off from
An F-35B Lightning II from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron
An F-35C Lightning II aircraft piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Tabert, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, flies the squadron's first local sortie.
A Marine F-35B Lightning II lifts off from the Eglin
Another F-35 Lightning II made history Tuesday, January
An AV-8B Harrier hovers during field carrier landing
An F-35B Lightning II jet takes off during Exercise
Related
A US Air Force (USAF) F-15C Strike Eagle, 58th Fighter Squadron (FS), Gorillas, Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida (FL), performs a power and speed aerial demonstration in the skies over Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (ID) during Gunfighter Skies, a three-day air show celebrating 100 years of aviation and 60 years of airpower in Idaho
F-111B aircraft from Mountain Home Air Froce Base, Idaho, arrive on base for a training mission. A C-130 Hercules aircraft is parked in the background
A US Army (USA) Golden Knight parachutists jumps from the teams Fokker C-31 Troopship, into the skies over Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho, for Gunfighter Skies, a three-day air show celebrating 100 years of aviation and 60 years of airpower in Idaho
The Heritage Flight demonstration with a US Air Force (USAF) F-15C Strike Eagle, 58th Fighter Squadron (FS), Gorillas, Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida (FL), flying formation with a TF-P-51D-30NT Mustang, Mad Max, commemorating the evolution of air power history during Gunfighter Skies a three-day air show celebrated 100 years of aviation and 60 years of airpower in Idaho
A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk being pulled back to its parking spot after spending the night in the hangar at the 314th Airlift Wing (AW) sponsored Heroes of the Heartland Air show at Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB), Arkansas (AR)
An US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft from the 391st Fighter Squadron (FS), 366th Fighter Wing (FW), Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, in flight over the C. J. Strike Reservoir
A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Fighter Squadron (FS), 366th Fighter Wing (FW), Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho (ID), takes off on an early morning sortie during an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI)
A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Fighter Squadron (FS), 366th Fighter Wing (FW), Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho (ID), takes off on an early morning sortie during an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI)
An US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft assigned to the 49th Fighter Wing (FW), makes a low-level fly-by during the Joint Service Open House Celebration held at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB), Maryland (MD). The open house showcased civilian and military aircraft and provided many flight demonstrations and static displays
A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk passes the Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB) control tower during take off. The three-day air show celebrated 100 years of aviation and 60 years of airpower in Idaho. (Substandard image)
Summary
The original finding aid described this photograph as:
Base: Mountain Home Air Force Base
State: Idaho (ID)
Country: United States Of America (USA)
Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Christopher Campbell, USAF
Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files
In 1964, Pyotr Ufimtsev, Russian mathematician, pioneered the idea that the level of the radar return from an airplane is related to its edge configuration, not its size. Basing on work by the German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, Ufimtsev demonstrated that an aircraft radar signature can be reduced. By the 1970s, Lockheed analyst Denys Overholser found Ufimtsev's paper and F-117 Nighthawk was born as a black project, an ultra-secret Pentagon program. The F-117 has a radar cross-section of about 0.001 m2 (0.0108 sq ft). The F-117A carries no radar and whether it carries any radar detection equipment is classified. The F-117 also reduces infrared signature, lacks afterburners, and limited to subsonic speeds. However, the resulting design makes the aircraft aerodynamically unstable and requires constant flight corrections from a fly-by-wire flight system to maintain controlled flight. A pilot, who flew it while it was still a secret project, stated that when he first saw a photograph of the F-117, he "promptly giggled and thought to this clearly can't fly'". It has low engine thrust due to losses in the inlet and outlet, a low wing aspect ratio, and 50° wing sweep angle to deflect radar waves to the sides. Supercomputers made it possible for subsequent aircraft like the B-2 to use curved surfaces while maintaining stealth. The 558 Nighthawk's pilots called themselves "Bandits", such as "Bandit 17", that where 17 is a sequential order of their first flight in the F-117. The aircraft was in use during Panama invasion, the Gulf War in 1991 and was first shot down in Serbia during on 27 March 1999 by an antiquate Soviet-made SA-3s (S-125 "Neva" ) anti-aircraft missile. The pilot was recovered by a United States Air Force Pararescue team. According to Serbian anti-aircraft unit commander, they spotted the aircraft on the radar when its bomb-bay doors opened, raising its radar signature. The Serbs invited Russians to inspect the aircraft's remains, compromising the stealth technology. Although officially retired, the F-117 fleet remains intact and some of the aircraft are flown periodically as of 2019.
- Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Explained
- Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk - Read wikipedia on new design
- A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk passes the Mountain ...
- A US Air Force (USAF) F-117A Nighthawk passes the Mountain ...
- Category:Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk - Wikidocumentaries
- F-117A Nighthawk военно-воздушных сил США (USAF) во время ...
- Mountain Home Air Force Base Staat: Idaho (ID) Land - US National ...