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When I first heard about it I had trouble believing it. When I saw one do low flyovers of Willow Run Airport during an air show I was like a little kid; stunned by how quiet it was and how wicked it looked.
I also remember thinking "THAT is how Batmans jet should look!"
RIP Black Jet.
I also remember thinking "THAT is how Batmans jet should look!"
RIP Black Jet.
Air Force’s Stealth Fighter Fleet Heads Toward Retirement
By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., Oct. 31, 2006 – After 25 years of storied service, the F-117 Nighthawk, the Air Force's first stealth fighter, is about to retire.
The technology that once made it unique has now caught up to it, and newer fighter aircraft are joining the fleet. Still, the Nighthawk was the first of its kind, a fact anyone who has spent time around the aircraft is quick to point out.
Many of these people gathered here Oct. 29 to commemorate 25 years of Nighthawk history at the Silver Stealth ceremony. Members of the F-117 community, past and present, were on hand to pay homage to the aircraft's illustrious history, a history that contains as many secrets as it does legends.
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For Master Sgt. Byron Osborn, who has worked on the F-117 for almost 19 years, the emotions are clearer.
"For old-timers like me, it's a sad day," he said. "A lot of the younger guys like the new, flashier aircraft, but I'll stick with this old dog any day."
The Air Force is saying goodbye to the F-117, but not to the effect it has had on modern warfare. Its successor, the F-22 Raptor, will continue the fight the Nighthawk started, which, according to retired Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, one of the first F-117 pilots, is a hard job to fill.
"Whenever its nation called, the F-117 answered, providing capabilities that had never been known before," he said. "If we needed the door kicked in, the stealth was the one to do it. Never before had such an aircraft existed."
Modern technology may have caught up with the F-117 and new aircraft may be set to take its place on the tarmac, but for those who have been part of its storied history, none will ever be able to replace it.
By Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., Oct. 31, 2006 – After 25 years of storied service, the F-117 Nighthawk, the Air Force's first stealth fighter, is about to retire.
The technology that once made it unique has now caught up to it, and newer fighter aircraft are joining the fleet. Still, the Nighthawk was the first of its kind, a fact anyone who has spent time around the aircraft is quick to point out.
Many of these people gathered here Oct. 29 to commemorate 25 years of Nighthawk history at the Silver Stealth ceremony. Members of the F-117 community, past and present, were on hand to pay homage to the aircraft's illustrious history, a history that contains as many secrets as it does legends.
>
For Master Sgt. Byron Osborn, who has worked on the F-117 for almost 19 years, the emotions are clearer.
"For old-timers like me, it's a sad day," he said. "A lot of the younger guys like the new, flashier aircraft, but I'll stick with this old dog any day."
The Air Force is saying goodbye to the F-117, but not to the effect it has had on modern warfare. Its successor, the F-22 Raptor, will continue the fight the Nighthawk started, which, according to retired Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, one of the first F-117 pilots, is a hard job to fill.
"Whenever its nation called, the F-117 answered, providing capabilities that had never been known before," he said. "If we needed the door kicked in, the stealth was the one to do it. Never before had such an aircraft existed."
Modern technology may have caught up with the F-117 and new aircraft may be set to take its place on the tarmac, but for those who have been part of its storied history, none will ever be able to replace it.
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