F-117 Nighthawk Repair

Introduced in 1981, in response to increasingly sophisticated Soviet surface-to-air missle systems, the F-117 Nighthawk is a retired Single Person Stealth attack aircraft developed by the Lockheed Corporation for the United States Air Force, and was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology. The F-117 was manufactured between 1981 to 1990, and was used by the U.S. Air Force up until the aircrafts retirement in 2008, and is primarly recognized by its unique faceted shape consisting of flat surfaces which gives the aircraft a low radar cross-section of about 0.001 m².

• 79-0780 Scorpion 1 - On a pedistal display on Nellis Boulevard, at the entrance to Nellis Air Force Base located in Las Vegas, NV. The Scorpion 1 was placed on display on May 16, 1992 and was the first F-117 to be made into a gate gaurdian.
• 79-10781 Scorpian 2 - On display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Scorpion 2 was given to the museum July 17, 1991.
• 79-10782 Scorpion 3 - On display at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and was repainted to resemble the first F-117A used for dropping weapons in combat. This specific aircraft was used for acoustics and navigation-systems testing. One of the most distintive features is located on the bottom surface, which is painted to resemble the flag of the United States. The Scorpion 3 also has historical significance, as it was used used when revealing the aircrafts type's existence to high-ranking officials at Nevada's Groom Lake on December 14, 1983, which acted as the first semipublic unveiling of the aircraft. It was placed on display on April 5, 2008.
• 79-10783 Scorpion 4 - Scorpion 4 was originally delivered to Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California on December 5, 1981 and was flown for the first time by Lockheed pilot Tom Morganfeld on July 7, 1982. The aircraft has since been moved to Edwards Air Force Base for restoration work March 3, 2008 with 2,464.6 flight hours. Plans are being made to restore the aircraft and prepare Scorpion 4 for static display.

• 80-0785 - 80-0785 is pole-mounted outside of Lockheed's Skunk Works facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 located in Palmdale, California. 80-0785 was the first production F-117A aircraft and crashed on April 20, 1982 during its maiden flight due to the fly-by-wire flight controls being incorrectly installed. Pilot Robert Ridenhour was able to eject safely; however, the aircraft was written off and never entered service. The Airframe of this display is a hybrid comprising the wreckage of 80-0785 along with the cockpit of Article 778 and the center section of Article 779.
• 81-0794 Delta Dawn - On dispaly at the Warner Robins, Museum of Aviation. 81-0794 was delivered to the museum on May 18, 2023 and was partially restored before being put on display.
• 82-0799 Midnight Rider - Delivered to Hill Aerospace Museum located in Roy, Utah on August 5, 2020. The aircraft was stripped and painted before being placed on display.
• 82-0803 Unexpected Guest - On display outside of Ronald Reagan Presidential Library located in Simi Valley, California. Unepected Guest is permenently pole-mounted and acts as a mounument to President Reagan's commitment to the rebuilding of the U.S. military through "Peace through Strength" program.
• 84-0810 Dark Angel - The Dark Angel was delivered to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona on November 13, 2022. The aircraft current resides outside of the restoration and maintenance hanger as of November 2024.
• 85-0813 The Toxic Avenger - The Toxic Avenger was delivered to Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California on July 29, 2022. Restoration was expected to take a year, and cost around $75,000 USD.
• 85-0816 Lone Wolf - The Lone Wolf was delivered to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon and has been in restoration since the end of 2023. The Lone Wolf is notable for being the first F-117 to be used in combat during Operation Desert Storm.
• 85-0817 Shaba - Shaba was delivered to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan on December 11, 2020. The aircraft was restored and placed on display July of 2022.
• 85-0818 The Overachiever - The Overachiever was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and placed on display at their Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Verginia in late October 2026. The Overachiever is notable for flying in all four major conflicts where Nighthawks few combat operations.
• 85-0819 Raven Beauty - The Raven Beauty was delivered to the Stafford Air & Space Museum on July 11, 2024. The aircraft has been preserved and was placed on public display on July 24, 2024.
• 84-0827 - While not on any public display, the 827 was stripped and the bare fuselage airframe was listed as "scrap" in early 2020. Restoration and fabrication costs were projected to be around $300,000. The fate and location of the fuselage is currently unknown.
• 85-0831 - The 831 is located at the Strategic Air Command & Areospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. The aircraft has undergone restoration and is currently on display. 831 served as a test aircraft at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California between 1987 and 2008
• 85-0833 Black Devil - Put on dispay October 3, 2020 at the Palm Spring Air Museum in Palm Spring, Califronia after restoration.

• 82-0806 Something Wicked - Something Wicked was shot down over Serbia; however, the remains are on display at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade, close to the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.

• Aircraft Type: Stealth Attack Aircraft
• Country of Origin: United States
• Manufacturer: Lockheed Corporation
• Retail Cost: $45 million ($166,801,980 when adjusted for inflation)
• Status: Retired
• Primary User: United States Air Force
• Number of Aircraft Built: 64 (5 YF-117As, 59 F-117As)
• Sucessor: F-22 Raptor

• Manufactured Timeframe: 1981 - 1990 (9 years)
• Introduction Date: October 1983
• First Flight: June 18, 1981
• Public Acknowledgment: November 10, 1988
• Retired: 2008 (27 years in use)

• Crew: 1 Person
• Length: 65 ft, 11 in (20.09 m)
• Wingspan: 43 ft, 4 in (13.21 m)
• Height: 12 ft, 5 in (3.78 m)
• Wing Area: 780 sq ft (72 m²)
• Airfoil: Lozenge section, three flats Uper, two flats Lower
• Empty Weight: 29,500 lbs (13,381 kg)
• Max Takeoff Weight: 52,500 lbs (23,814 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 x General Electric F404-F1D2 Turbofan engines, 9,040 lbf (40.2 kN) Thrust per engine

• Max Speed: 594 kn (684 mph, 1,100 kh/h)
• Maximum Speed: Mach 0.92
• Range: 930 nmi (1,070 mi, 1,720 km)
• Service Ceiling: 45,000 ft (14,000 m)
• Wing Loading: 67.3 lb/sq ft (329 kg/m²)
• Thrust/Weifht: 0.40

• Radar Cross-Section: Flat surface design gives the F-117 a radar cross-section of 0.001 m² (0.0108 sq ft)
• Infared Signature Minimization: The F-117 lacks afterburners and features a non-circular tail pipe that mixes hot exhaust with cool ambient air
• Acoustic Mimimization: Speeds are restricted to subsonic speeds to prevent breaking the sound barrier

• Internal Weapon Bays: 2 x Bays w/ 1 hardpoint each

• Official Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk Product Page
• F-117 Nighthawk Wikipedia Page
• National Museum of the U.S. Air Force F-117 Nighthawk Web Page