F117 was constructed as a stealth ground attack aircraft and operated by the United States air force (USAF).
Its first flight was in 1981 and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983, but was kept secret up until it was revealed to the world in November of 1988.
Prior to the official reveal, there was much speculation about the existence of a stealth fighter as well as its designation. In 1986 it was given the speculative name F-19 Stealth Fighter, and Testor Corporation made a scale model largely based on the SR-71 Blackbird, which became the popular appearance of the aircraft in games for the next few years.
It was the first initially designed aircraft with stealth technology and it was used in the Persian gulf war in 1991. The aircraft is designated as a Fighter; thus the F-117A designation but it has virtually no air-to-air capabilities.
ARMAMENT:
BLU-109 Hardened penetrator
GBU-10 Paveway II laser guided missile
GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided missile
GBU-27 Paveway II laser guided missile
JDAM INS /GPS Guided munition
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS:
| ROLE | Stealth attack aircraft |
| NATIONAL ORIGIN | USA |
| MANUFACTURER | Lockheed Martin |
| FIRST FLIGHT | 18/6/1981 |
| INTRODUCED | 15/10/1983 |
| RETIRED | 22/4/2008 |
| PRIMARY USER | USAF |
| NUMBER BUILD | 64 |
| UNIT COST | 111.2 million (total program) |
| LENGTH | 20.09 m |
| WINGSPAN | 13.20 m |
| HEIGHT | 3.78 m |
| EMPTY WEIGHT | 13380 KG |
| MAX. SPEED | MACH 0.92 |
| CRUISE SPEED | MACH 0.92 |
| RANGE | 930 NM (1720 km) |
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