The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, better known as the Stealth Fighter, was one of the more recent designs to emerge from the famed Lockheed “Skunk Works” or Advanced Development Programs division. Though the F-117 took flight for the first time in 1981, the aircraft itself was not revealed to the world until 1988 — its existence itself was truly stealth as well!
The aircraft was one of the first operational designs with the aim of near invisibility to radar due to its radical angular construction, known as “facets” that were meant to scatter 99% of the radars signal energy. Of course the resulting aerodynamic challenge was that this construction made the aircraft inherently unstable and it was only made able to fly by the advanced computer technology employed to control its flight — correcting control inputs thousands of times per second.
The F-117 enjoyed a fairly substantial operational career — being used in the invasion of Panama, the first Gulf War, Kosovo, and the War on Iraq. Despite its success in combat, the F-117 was eclipsed by the B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor, both using stealth technology, and was retired in 2008. The last operational F-117 flew to storage in Tonopah, NV on August 11, 2008.
Despite its characteristic black paint, this colorful tattoo depicting the F-117 was created by artist Smallz at E.C. Tattoo #2 located in San Diego, CA.
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