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F-117


The F-117a NightHawk was the world's first operational aircraft designed to be invisible to radar. It was flown only by the United States, but recenty has been retired in favor of the F-22 Raptor. While the F-117 has the "F" designation, suggesting that it is a fighter, it is in fact a bomber. The USAF maintains that the F-117 does have air-to-air capabilities, but it is unlikely to be very effective in a dogfight. It is interesting to note that the F-117 carries no radar, to reduce it's own emissions and cross-section. Instead, it uses GPS and an inertial navigation system. The F-117 also suffers from a 30% reduction in engine power to facilitate its stealth. Targets are acquired with a thermal infrared imaging system, and a laser is used to guide bombs to their targets. Existence of the F-117 was a secret until 1988. There are currently 36 combat-ready planes. One F-117 was lost in combat during the Kosovo War. Yugoslav air-defenses realized that the F-117 could be detected by radar operating at longer wavelengths. This was combined with the fact that the stealth technology did not work when the aircraft got wet, or opened its bomb-bay doors. The wreckage of the F-117 was not immediately bombed, so it is likely that the Russians were able to get a peek at American stealth technology.

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 63 ft 9 in (20.08 m)
* Wingspan: 43 ft 4 in (13.20 m)
* Height: 12 ft 9.5 in (3.78 m)
* Wing area: 780 ft² (73 m²)
* Empty weight: 29,500 lb (13,380 kg)
* Loaded weight: 52,500 lb (23,800 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× General Electric F404-F1D2 turbofans, 10,600
lbf (48.0 kN) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 610 knots (702 mph, 1,130 km/h)
* Range: 535 mi (465 nm, 860 km)
* Service ceiling: 33,000 ft (10,000 m)
* Wing loading: 65 lb/ft² (330 kg/m²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.40

Armament

* 2× internal weapons bays with one hardpoint each (total of
2 weapons) equipped to carry:
o Bombs:
+ BLU-109 hardened penetrator
+ GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb
+ GBU-27 laser-guided bomb
o Missiles:
+ AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles
+ AGM-88 HARM air-to-surface missiles