USAF Retiring F-117A Steal Fighter

[thebobman]

Full Story @ CNN.com

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- The world's first attack aircraft to employ stealth technology is slipping quietly into history.

The inky black, angular, radar-evading F-117, which spent 27 years in the Air Force arsenal secretly patrolling hostile skies from Serbia to Iraq, will be put in mothballs next month in Nevada.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, which manages the F-117 program, will have an informal, private retirement ceremony Tuesday with military leaders, base employees and representatives from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The last F-117s scheduled to fly will leave Holloman on April 21, stop in Palmdale, California, for another retirement ceremony, then arrive on April 22 at their final destination: Tonopah Test Range Airfield in Nevada, where the jet made its first flight in 1981.
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I can't believe that thing's been flying since 1981! I was pretty much 200% positive that the B2 Stealth Bomber preceded the stealth fighter.

[azazel]

what??!?!?!! that's the sickest looking plane.

i remember when the serbians managed to shoot one down they said it looked like an 'alien craft' :oh::nuts:

[Revolver]

holy@27 years of serivce or whatever it said...

i always prefferd the look of the sr-71 personally.

this is a cool pic i found of the raptor long side a thunderbolt.


i used to be pretty HC into aiplane model building as a kid. esp the ww2 fighters.

prettiest airplane of all time has to go to the RAf spitfire imo


she's a beauty.

[rawb]

ID LIKE TO JUMP AN WRX OVER A STEALTH FIGHTER ON ACIDl

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by rawb

ID LIKE TO JUMP AN WRX OVER A STEALTH FIGHTER ON ACIDl

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!....WHILE EATING POUTINE!....

GAHH, I JUST TOATALLY BLEW MY MIND

[SEAN!]

Originally Posted by rawb

ID LIKE TO JUMP AN WRX OVER A STEALTH FIGHTER ON ACIDl

CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDNT THINK OF IT MYSELF.


YOU ARE A CREATIVE GENIOUS


O

[thebobman]

PS: the F-117A Steal Fighter employs advanced Robbing and Looting (R&L) technologies along with the USAF's exclusive Plunder™ and Purloin™ systems.

[mapleleaf4ever]

R.I.P. Wobbly Goblin.

The Aircraft that cannot physically fly if the computers fail and isn't actually a Fighter.

I wonder what second rate nation they'll sell them to?

Hmmm... new Stealth Fighter Squadron coming to Cold Lake? lol