Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk (first operational stealth aircraft)
The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) developed from the Have Blue technology demonstrator and produced by Lockheed's Skunk Works. It is the first operational aircraft to be designed around stealth technology. The maiden flight of the F-117 happened in 1981 and the aircraft achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983.The Nighthawk spent much of its early service life shrouded in secrecy, until it was "acknowledged" and unveiled to the world in November 1988. The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Gulf War of 1991. It was commonly referred to as the "Stealth Fighter", although it was a strictly ground-attack aircraft. F-117s took part in the conflict in Yugoslavia where one was shot down by a surface-to-air missi...
