The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft that was developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-117 was based on the Have Blue technology demonstrator.

The Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft to be designed around stealth technology. Its maiden flight took place in 1981 at Groom Lake, Nevada, and the aircraft achieved initial operating capability status in 1983. The Nighthawk was shrouded in secrecy until it was revealed to the public in 1988. Of the 64 F-117s built, 59 were production versions, with the other five being prototypes.

The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Although it was commonly referred to as the "Stealth Fighter", it was strictly a ground-attack aircraft. F-117s took part in the conflict in Yugoslavia, where one was shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) in 1999; it was the only Nighthawk to be lost in combat. The U.S. Air Force retired the F-117 in 2008, primarily due to the fielding of the F-22 Raptor.

Pictured here is a spectacular 1:72 scale diecast replica of a YF-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft that was attached to the 410th Flight Test Squadron "Baja Scorpions", then deployed to Edwards AFB, California, during 2005. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-1/4-inches
Length: 11-inches

Release Date: June 2026

Historical Account: "Scorpions" - In November 1978, the preliminary testing of the Have Blue stealth aircraft was successfully completed, and during November 1978, Lockheed Corporation was awarded a contract to begin full-scale development of the project. The program was given the code name Senior Trend. In 1980, the Senior Trend Joint (later Combined) Test Force was established at Area 51 consisting of a combination of Lockheed and USAF personnel as an acceptance test unit for newly manufactured aircraft. Air Force Systems Command personnel participating in the test were assigned to Air Force Flight Test Center, Detachment 3.

In June 1981, the first Senior Trend test aircraft was delivered for testing and on June 18th, 1981, the first successful flight was made by a Lockheed test pilot. There were usually four to six test flights (about half contractor and half USAF) for acceptance. They included systems checks, handling qualities evaluations, and low observable radar verifications. All flights of the aircraft were made at night without lights and the runway was only briefly illuminated to facilitate landings and takeoffs.

The first production aircraft, 80-10785 was ready for its first flight on April 20th, 1982. However, unknown to anyone, the fly-by-wire system had been hooked up incorrectly (pitch was yaw and vice versa). Upon liftoff, the plane immediately went out of control. Instead of the nose pitching up, it went horizontal. The aircraft went inverted and ended up traveling backwards through the air. The pilot had no time to eject, and the aircraft flew into the ground. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair, but some of its parts could be salvaged. On November 10th, 1988, the long-rumored existence of the F-117 Stealth Fighter was finally officially confirmed by the Pentagon. In 1990 the last F-117A was delivered. and the flight test squadron no longer had to perform acceptance flights at Groom Lake. However, the flight test duties still included flights for refurbished aircraft received from Lockheed.

In February and March 1992, the F-117 test unit moved from Groom Lake to Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where Lockheed had produced the aircraft, although some testing, especially RCS verification[jargon] and other classified activity, was still conducted at Groom Lake. At Palmdale, the test unit came under the operational control of the 2874th Test Squadron (later the 337th Test Squadron) of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards as Detachment 5 of the squadron.