The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft flown solely by the United States Air Force. As a product of the Lockheed Have Blue stealth prototype program, it became the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology.
The F-117A was widely publicized during the Gulf War. The Air Force has been trying to retire the F-117, due mainly to the deployment of the more effective F-22 Raptor. The Air Force is planning to retire the F-117 from October 2006 to 2008,[3][4] and no new pilots will be trained to fly the plane
2007-06-19 17:06:20 · 8 answers · asked by Amber S 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
It is great to get questions with inbuilt answers. FYI, the Nighthawk was never a fighter, it doesnt have air to air weaponry. The Raptor can do everything better and can fight (pretty damn well too) in the skies for dominance. So, just as in nature, the old and the weak have to retire.
2007-06-21 20:20:59 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The F-117A Nighthawk and the F-22 perform completely different missions. The F-117 basically costs more to operate than what it is worth. The F-22 is the replacement for the F-15. The radar is much better and it can shoot enemies down from a much greater range.
2007-06-20 11:04:15 · answer #2 · answered by Ruck 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You pretty well answered your own question !!
The F-117A entered active service in 1983... so it's an almost 25 year old bird. The F-117 was designed with late 1970s technologies. The F-22 and the F-35 are entering production and there just isn't the money to maintain the F-117A fleet.
2007-06-19 17:16:41 · answer #3 · answered by mariner31 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's relatively slow and handles poorly. Despite the F designation, it's not truly a fighter (gosh - I think my Cessna could fly rings around it), but rather a stealth bomber. Because of the lack of speed and agility, it must hide - and thus fly only at night. That limits it's use to about 6 hours each calendar day.
It was the first airplane to truly use stealth technology, and subsequent lessons learned are able to overcome the problems I just mentioned.
The F-22 is a much better all around airplane, and with it's better speed and agility uses stealth to hide from radar, while maintaining a high degree of fighting ability day or night - 24 hours per day.
2007-06-19 17:56:20 · answer #4 · answered by Mountain Top 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
F-117 was useful. It no longer is, after one got shot down in Serbia.
It's too slow to escape from threats, and it's really a small precision bomber, not a fighter. It really should get the A designation, rather than F. And being designed in the 1970's means modern technology have passed it by, and they can't be retrofitted due to their unusual design.
That's the problem of being the first to the "market". There's always better stuff later.
2007-06-20 05:09:36 · answer #5 · answered by Kasey C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
previous information. The F22 could look greater regularly occurring, even though it is greater straightforward to fly than an F117, it is lots speedier (supercruise vs. subsonic), and it has a decrease radar bypass-section. The engineers have not been sitting around the final 20-unusual years. they have been discovering and thinking up new issues. The F22 is the result.
2016-11-07 00:02:11 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are two reasons. one, the F-117 can only cary 2 bombs. two, the F-117 can only cary two bombs. the f-22 and f-35 are faster, more capable planes with just about the same radar signature of the f-117, so therefore, no more f-117.
2007-06-20 12:45:41 · answer #7 · answered by pizllexam2006 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
F-22 is more capable and faster. F-117 is a subsonic aircraft.
2007-06-19 18:27:54 · answer #8 · answered by phillipk_1959 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋