The F-117 was the first stealth aircraft used for combat.  59 F-117's saw service, seven were lost, mostly in crashes, one was damaged and crashed after the pilot ejected in Serbia under hostile fire.  the F-117 was able to move into heavily defended enemy territory undetected, drop its payload, then slip away again, and was proven effective in its use in Panama, Serbia and both Iraq wars. 

A big reason they are retiring the F-117 is to free up some funds to get the F-22 Raptor in service a bit quicker.  There are going to be some ceremonial flights to mark the end of service, and those are expected to be the last service they see. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 03:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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