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I know several pilots who flew the Stinkbug. Their name for the Nighthawk. Some from my A-10 squadron back when it was the blackest of black programs, they were ostensibly flying A-7s for the 4450th. Also a classmate of mine from ROTC flew the jet in Desert Storm, and later when I was an F-16 instructor a couple of my students who transitioned to (or back to) the F-16. They loved the aircraft. It was easy to fly, like the F-16, although it was thrust-limited. And it proved that low-observable technology was quite viable and relevant. It also proved that while it was highly effective, stealth was not the end-all panacea. Allied Force showed a vulnerability since the F-117 had been developed to counter the most modern surveillance, acquisition, and anti-aircraft radars (think GCI, SA-5, SA-6, SA-8, SA-11, and airborne systems), it was vulnerable to optically-launched or older systems such as the SA-3 salvo that shot down one. That alone pays for follow-on systems such as the F-22 and F-35; lessons learned counter new weapons and tactics. (Paraphrasing Newton: For every weapon and tactic developed there is an equal and opposite countermeasure.)
Yeah, it was worth it. Very successful. Especially to guys who flew over Baghdad in 1991.
(I like the Oklahoma counties listed in the lower right, 'cuz that's what it's going to look like in a few hours, just shifted 50 miles east.)
YES the F-117 was a very big success. But the biggest success was the shock was the fact that the program had existed so long with so few leaks. Up until that time no one believed the US could keep such a large program so secret. There were always leaks, media was always able to ferret out details by digging through funding documents, etc.
Suddenly there was proof that the U.S. military could keep a secret. For some of us who were in the Air Force and looked back things that seemed unusual or even paranoid over the last few years made sense. Even the designation (within the old numbering system) raised questions, increased speculation and made folks wonder what else was out there.
YES the F-117 was a very big success. But the biggest success was the shock was the fact that the program had existed so long with so few leaks. Up until that time no one believed the US could keep such a large program so secret. There were always leaks, media was always able to ferret out details by digging through funding documents, etc.
Suddenly there was proof that the U.S. military could keep a secret. For some of us who were in the Air Force and looked back things that seemed unusual or even paranoid over the last few years made sense. Even the designation (within the old numbering system) raised questions, increased speculation and made folks wonder what else was out there.
That was a big deal. Those of us who were flying fighters knew that those A-7 pilots were not flying A-7s for avionics testing, but what were they flying? And a classmate of mine from pilot training went straight into the spook world flying unmarked civilian aircraft into "The Box", aka Groom Lake. So there was something out there, just what was it? Revell and Testors got it wrong, and when the F-117 was finally unveiled over ten years after the HAVE BLUE project started, most of us agreed it was butt-ugly. But then, so was the A-10.
was the F117 a success? yes it was. it did everything that was asked of it, including bombing one of the most heavily defended places in the world, baghdad. and only one loss in combat since its inception due to enemy fire. only the F15 has a better combat record.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbohm
yes they were brilliant werent they? after all they designed and built the SR71 without a computer. their tool of choice was a slide rule!!
however i think aircraft designers of today are just as good, but they have better tools to work with.
For anyone with an interest I would highly recommend a book titled Skunk Works by Ben Rich, who headed the Skunk Works from 1975 until 1991, a great look at the workings of what is surely one of the all time great engineering teams. I believe they excelled at coming in under budget, on time or earlier, and performing to spec or better, all from a relatively small team. A quick check showed it still available from Amazon and you may well find a copy at your local library.
In addition to what others have said, it was also a big success in publicity, prestige, and intimidation. It was a level of capability unmatched. After Baghdad, it sent a message to tyrants that "we can hit you anywhere at any moment and you'll never see it coming" (at least until Yugoslavia).
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