Pictures Courtesy USAF

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F-117 Night Hawk

The F-117 "Night Hawk" is one of USA's leading bombers designed by the Lockheed Martin's Skunk works team. The F-117 "Night Hawk" is the world's first stealth fighter. Though designated as a fighter, the F-117 doesnot carry any air-to-air weapon. This aircraft is totally dedicated to carry out air to ground strikes on targets deep within enemy territory. The unique design makes the F-117easy to recoganise. The Night Hawk saw action in many recent conflicts including the Gulf War, the NATO offensive on the Balkans and most recently in America's Fight Against Terror. Over the years the F-117 has been developing a bad reputation with a series of crashes and the shooting down of an F-117 in Yugoslavya by a Soviet SA-3 surface-to-air missile system which is a very primitive design.

History of the F-117 Program

The F-117 was first a top secret fighter. The developement of the F-117 started in 1978 and the first test flight was carried out in 1981. The project was disclosed to public in 1988.

Design

The F-117 has been carefully designed to deflect the radar waves in another direction rather than reflecting back towards the radar after its incidence. The F-117 also employs RAM (Radar Absorbant Material) on its surface. The composition of this substance is a closely guarded secret but it absorbs the radar waves coming from a radar station without reflecting it back.

The F-117 also uses IR supression. This doesnot allow elemy aircraft and ground instillations detect its heat signature. This is done by placing the engines deep in the belly of the aircraft and cooling the exhaust to a level. The intakes of the F-117 are also covered to prevent it from reflecting radar waves.

The F-117 features an unstable configuration. The aircraft is held in proper course with the help of an onboard computer which keeps the aircraft stable and allows the pilot to control it. The data for the computer to keep the aircraft stable is gathered throught the antennae in front of the F-117's cockpit.

Another important feature in the F-117 is its V-shaped tail which controls yaw. This tail design is only used by the F-117.

Weapons

The F-117 carries a whole range of bombs. Yet the primary weapon carried by the F-117 is the Laser Guided Bomb. These include BLU-`09B, GBU-10 and GBU-27. The F-117 also carries surface-to-air anti tank missiles and anti radar missiles like the AGM-65 "Maverick" and AGM-88 HARM.

Engines

The F-117 carries a GE F404-GE-F1D2 turbo fan engines. These engines are designed to have a low IR signature. The exhaust of the F-117's engines are reduced in area and the tail fins are placed in such a way that the engines are not exposed to the enemys IR detecting devices.

Technical Specifications
Length	66ft
Height	12' 6"
Wingspan	43 ft
Max Weight	52,500 lbs
Wing Sweep	67o 30'
Max Speed	High Subsonic (Mach 0.8?)
Range	Unlimited (With air to air refueling)