indiaeleven

Rank 10 – F117 Stealth Fighter Year 1983

The F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter, a single seat, twin engine aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin, was the first aircraft designed to exploit low-observable stealth technology. Development began in 1978 with a contract awarded to Lockheed’s Advanced Development Project know as the “Skunk Works,” in Burbank, Calif.

The first flight took place in 1981 but the aircraft remain a Military secret until 1988. The US Air Force had a total of 59 Nighthawks before retirement, starting in 2006 through to 2008, slowly removed the aircraft from the skies (read our previous post on the Retirement of The F-117 Nighthawk). Read the rest of this entry →