During the first Gulf War F-117 aircraft, built by Lockheed, set a distance and endurance record
for a single seat combat aircraft by flying from Holloman AFB in the U.S. to Kuwait in about 18 hours and 30 minutes.
The F-117 was developed in response to an Air Force requirement for a bomber capable of not being detected by enemy radar.
A contract was awarded in 1978. The first flight was on June 18, 1981, and it was deployed in 1982. However, the
existence of the aircraft was only made known to the public in 1988.
Features of the F-117 include angle optimized leading edges and surfaces, saw
tooth edges on opening panels and doors, radar absorbing paint, coated
engine intake gratings, and engine exhaust masking, all designed to reduce radar and thermal signatures.
In a further effort to keep a stealth profile, the F-117 does not use
radar for navigation or weapons targeting. The aircraft utilizes
infrared technology instead. It has a computerized flight control system that provides navigation
and flight systems management. However, the pilot can visually acquire
the target in a head up display for weapons delivery. It also
has a video system to view and record real-time damage assessment.
The F-117 can carry up to 5,000 lbs. of ordinance internally. Typical
weapons are two laser guided bombs, two penetration bombs, two
wind corrected munitions dispensers, or two joint direct attack
munitions and G P S guided stand-off bombs. In theory it can carry
two of every weapon in the U.S.A.F. inventory including nuclear bombs.
The F-117 first saw action on 12/20/89 during Operation Just Cause in
Panama. During Operation Desert Storm in January and February of 1991
the stealth aircraft was the only Coalition fixed wing bomber allowed to strike
targets inside of Baghdad's city limits. It also conducted air strikes during NATO operations in the Balkans in March of 1999.
It is estimated that Lockheed delivered 59 F-117 aircraft to the United
States Air Force between August of 1982 and July of 1990. They were retired from service in 2008.
RC F-117
The rc F-117 for sale from NitroPlanes.
Pictured above is the rc F-117 for sale by NitroPlanes. It is
about 40" long with a wingspan of over 27". Power is by a 64 mm fan turned by a brushless motor. Weight is about 23 oz. It is also available as a kit and in a cameo paint scheme.
The first picture below is of the rc F-117 from YH Model. It has a 48" wingspan and a 54" length. For
power it is suggested that you can use a .61 two stroke engine or a .90 four stroke engine. The rc F-117 is made from balsa and plywood. All up weight is around 6 1/2 lbs.
The next picture below is of the Tom Hunt Design rc F-117 from a kit by Aero Craft Ltd. It has a 30" wingspan and a 26" length. Power is from a Speed 400 type motor in the nose.
The last picture on this page is of a rc F-117 built from
Parkjets.com plans. It has a length of 39 1/4" and a wingspan of 29 1/4". An E-Flite Park 400-4100 is recommended for power.
RC Super Powers.com has a rc F-117. It has a wingspan of 21 1/2" and a length of 33".
Construction
is from Depron. Pushing it is a Welgard 2212-06 motor with either a 5 x
5 or 6 x 4 propeller. All up weight should be between 14 and 16 oz.
Aviation Design has a rc F-117 kit. Wingspan is 48" and length is 79". A .91 engine driving either
a Dynamax or Ramtec fan unit is recommended. It has an epoxy upper fuse and foam over obechi
lower fuse. The wings are obechi sheeted. All up weight is around 11 1/2 lbs.
Stephen Smith from Australia sent us an email saying, "Banana hobby.com have a
great rc F-117. They are made in China, but they do look great and fly superbly."
Thank you for the tip Steve. The Banana Hobby rc F-117 has a wingspan of 28" and a
length of 41". It is propelled by a 4300 kv brushless
motor driving a 64 mm fan unit. It weighs about 19 oz. ready to fly.
There are two models of the rc F-117, an ARF and RTF. In addition to the motor, the RTF scale model rc airplane
includes batteries and chargers, a radio and receiver.
Lockheed F-117
