Tag:

F117

The ‘Nuclear’ explosions during Operation Desert Storm

by Till Daisd October 7, 2024

On several missions, F-117 pilots saw spectacular explosions in the distance, with some being so impressive that they resembled a nuclear mushroom cloud.

The result of the USAF’s Have Blue program, which started in the mid-1970s, Lockheed’s renowned Advanced Development Company created the F-117. The first of 59 production aircraft, equipped with stealth technology that rendered the jet nearly undetectable to radar, was delivered to the USAF in August 1982.

Midway through 1990, the USAF received the last Nighthawk, and in reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) mass-deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield. Later, in January 1991, F-117s took part in the first airstrikes of Operation Desert Storm (ODS).

F-117 pilots witnessed incredible explosions in the distance on numerous sorties during ODS; some of these explosions were so powerful that they resembled a mushroom cloud of nuclear bombs. During the war, there were, of course, no nuclear explosions, but certain targets that were struck produced enormous secondary detonations.

By late January 1991, the F-117s were chasing ammo dumps, chemical storage facilities, and bunkers around the nation after the major targets in Baghdad had been eliminated. Lt Col Barry E. Home described one of these flights in his book F-117 Stealth Fighter Units of Operation Desert Storm; he flew aircraft 85-0818 The Overachiever;

“It was a two-target mission and confirmed ammunition bunker was my objective with my first bomb. The second one was destined for a chemical bunker. The ammunition dump was in central Iraq, 100 miles west of Baghdad. The second was just north of the Iraqi capital. I was flying at what we considered to be medium altitude, my jet being armed with GBU-27s. The ammunition dump was in a vast array of uniformly placed bunkers in flat, open areas. Several had already been hit, but others remained intact. It was actually a double bunker configuration.

“I approached from south to north and used only one weapon. Right after release, I detected that the thumb tracker was overly sensitive. That caused me considerable difficulty late in the delivery. At one point, the tracker caused the sight line to move, or rather jump, approximately 100 feet south of the target. I regained control and managed to steer the weapon to final impact. The bomb hit precisely in the middle of the double bunker, striking the wall that separated them. The explosion was absolutely brilliant. It seemed to engulf the sky all around me. For a moment, I was afraid that it might even reach up and grab me.”

Lt. Col. Home continued to his second target, scoring another direct hit. He had no more issues with his tracker after that. That was when he left the area, returning to the border. He noticed a bright orange glow to the west, pointing toward his first target; the flames had barely reduced 20 minutes after the first explosion.

After Home got back to base, wing munitions experts and intelligence personnel saw the tape and said it was the biggest explosion they had ever seen. The combined weight of both bunkers’ explosives was estimated to have exceeded one million pounds. Later, several F-117 pilots operating in that area reported witnessing the fireworks and being mystified about their origin. Home did not notice the crater he assumed his attack had produced since he did not make any more sorties in that area.

The F-117 Stealth Fighter and the ‘Nuclear’ Explosions during Operation Desert Storm — An F-117A aircraft from the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing (37th TFW) moves in for mid-air refueling during Operation Desert Shield.

F-117 Stealth Fighter Units of Operation Desert Storm is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Federal Emergency Management Agency

October 7, 2024 0 comment

History

How Serbs were able to shoot down an F-117 stealth fighter

by Till Daisd January 22, 2024

written by Till Daisd

‘Unfortunately, on the day Vega 31 would be taken out of the sky, the [EA-6B] Prowlers were grounded due to weather. The decision was made for the F-117s to fly their strike mission unsupported,’ Chris Morehouse, USAF Aerospace Engineer

The urgent national need for a jet fighter that could operate entirely undetected by the enemy led to the development of the F-117 Nighthawk. It was developed quickly and in total secrecy, in the traditional Skunk Works style (Skunk Works is Lockheed Advanced Development Projects in Burbank, California).

The “Skunk Works” was given a contract in 1978 to begin manufacturing the F-117A. Just thirty-one months following the full-scale development decision, on June 18, 1981, was the maiden flight over the Nevada test ranges. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), in Ohio, used streamlined management of the Aeronautical Systems Center to quickly deploy the aircraft by combining breakthrough stealth technology with concurrent development and production.

Deliveries of the F-117A began in 1982 and ended in the summer of 1990. The 4450th Tactical Group (later 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico), Air Combat Command’s lone F-117A unit, achieved operational capability in October 1983.

F-117As performed over 1,300 missions and achieved direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The only U.S. or coalition aircraft to strike targets in Baghdad’s downtown was that one.

To help NATO’s Operation Allied Force, 24 F-117As were sent to Spangdahlem AB in Germany and Aviano Air Base in Italy in 1999. On March 24, 1999, the aircraft led the first-ever Allied airstrike against Yugoslavia. On March 27, three days later, one F-117A (AF ser. no. 82-0806) was lost by enemy action.

Former F-117 Pilot tells the story of when his Nighthawk was nearly shot down over Baghdad during Operation Desert Storm

How were the Serbs able to shoot down an F-117 stealth aircraft?

‘Through a combination of Complacency, Strategy, and Luck,’ Chris Morehouse, US Air Force Aerospace Engineer, said on Quora.

‘First the Complacency. This was on the part of the US Air Force, and joint allied forces. The routes used by the F-117s during the shootdown had been flown previously multiple times. This is contrary to the F-117 operations in the 91 war where they flew into Baghdad, never repeating the same inbound track consecutively.

‘Perhaps this was due to overconfidence in their equipment, and air superiority. During Operation Allied Force, the NATO air campaign, it was standard operating procedure (SOP) for all strike missions to be accompanied by electronic warfare aircraft [EA-6B Prowlers]. These aircraft flew with strike missions to detect, jam, and destroy enemy radar installations. Because of these aircraft, it was difficult for the Yugoslavian anti-air forces to operate their radars and get target-quality tracks on even conventional military aircraft. Keep in mind, during the 78 days of Operation Allied Forces we flew 38,004 air sorties and lost only 2 aircraft to enemy fire. The Prowlers were a big part of that unprecedented record.

‘Unfortunately, on the day Vega 31 would be taken out of the sky, the Prowlers were grounded due to weather. The decision was made for the F-117s to fly their strike mission unsupported.

‘Worse yet, the Yugoslavian anti-air forces knew that the Prowlers were grounded, and knew that the F-117s were going to fly a strike mission anyway. How did they know? Because the Serbs had spotters and human intelligence assets in Italy, where the strike missions were flying from. They had also compromised NATO communications in the area, and had civilian sources in Italy feeding them intelligence who had access to operational information. In short, the NATO forces had a massive failure in operation security, OPSEC, which was feeding valuable data to the enemy. The Serbs knew the strike was coming, knew the general route, and knew the F-117s would be flying without electronic warfare support.

‘It is important to note that the F-117A is a very lean aircraft. It has no radar of its own. When flying for penetration all of its antennas are retracted. It had a single system that could function as a radar warning receiver, but the antennas were not exposed during a strike mission. As such it has no way of detecting search and track radar on its own. Simply put, operating alone, it is effectively blind.’

Morehouse continues;

‘Now let’s discuss the Strategy.

‘The Serbs were leaning every available advantage they could to accomplish a shootdown of American aircraft. They knew war was not a popular option for the US civilian population, and it was perceived that if they could shoot down some American aircraft, they could turn public opinion against the air war. A particularly valued prize would of course be one of the coveted “Stealth Fighters”. As such, they worked diligently to set up anti-air ambushes for NATO aircraft, particularly hunting for the F-117As. How did they do this?

‘For these ambushes, they employed two radar systems. First the P-18 “Spoon Rest D” early warning radar. This radar is a Soviet Union radar system that operates in the VHF frequency. Typical it can detect a fighter aircraft out to 200 nautical miles. The Serb discovered that by setting it to its absolute lowest frequency, and thus largest bandwidth, they could detect the F-117As. However, in these settings the radar cannot provide very good information on the F-117s, and the “early warning” radar could only detect them within 15 miles. This is a very poor detection range indeed, however, if you just so happen to know the route your enemy is flying, it is enough to let you know when they are getting within range of your other systems.

‘Even when the P-18 is operating at optimal performance (not at the absolutely lowest frequency) and against a conventional aircraft, it can still not produce a precision track of a quality to guide a weapon on anything more than a kilometer or so away. That is why these systems are considered ‘early warning’ radar. They are not meant to guide weapons. This brings us to the next system the Serbs used.

‘For their anti-aircraft weapon system, they had the S-125, or SA-3 Goa to NATO. The S-125 had three radar systems; The P-15 Flat Face, SNR-125 Low Blow, and PRV-11 Side Net.

‘The P-15 was a C-band target acquisition radar. Nominally it had a detection range for a fighter aircraft out to 150 miles. Against the F-117s it was completely worthless. It could not detect them, even flying overhead.

‘The SNR-125 was the fire control radar, intended to guide the missiles onto their targets. This had two modes of operation for detecting aircraft, essential two different radar bands. Nominal it could detect and track a fighter aircraft between 25–50 miles out, depending on the mode of operation and conditions.

‘The PRV-11 was used as a ‘height finder’ to get an accurate read on a target’s altitude.

‘All these radars were paired with a quad missile launcher carrying the V-600 missile. A two-stage solid-fueled surface-to-air missile with a max range of about 15 miles and a minimum engagement range of a little more than a mile.

‘This SAM system is not usually considered a mobile missile system. But the Serbs had trained diligently, and by only arming their quad missile launchers with two missiles each they were able to relocate the missile system in 90 minutes. Doing so meant they could set up ambush positions with this missile system, and then take down and relocate. So, if a route was flown one day and there were no missile systems detected in the area, the Serbs could be operating in that area just hours later.

‘The Serb had attempted to set up ambushes in this way for the F-117s two times previous to the actual shoot down. They would get an indication of a pending strike mission, and move their missile batteries into place to intercept the suspected routes. The P-18 would be able to detect the F-117As when they got within 15 miles, as was mentioned before. Even with the Prowlers flying, the P-18 did not register on their systems as a radar system when operating at their lowest frequency.

‘With the P-18 indicating the F-117s were in the area, they would time for a possible intercept and when they believed the F-117s were close enough, activate the SNR-125 radar trained in the direction of the incoming F-117s. They limited the amount of time they kept the SNR-125s active due to the risk of being detected by the EW aircraft and then hit with Anti-Radar missiles. On both previous attempts, the SNR-125 was unable to detect or track the F-117s. This brings us to the last bit.

‘Luck.’

Morehouse explains:

‘On the day of the shoot-down, as has been mentioned, the Serbs got intelligence that the F-117s would be flying a strike mission without the support of the Prowlers. Being well drilled in setting up these ambushes, they positioned their S-125 missile system into position on the F-117’s suspected approach.

F-117 canopy (Museum of Aviation, Belgrade)

‘The P-18 radar detected the F-117As when they were about 15 miles out. The Serbs activated their SNR-125 radar and detected…… nothing. Looks like they were going to miss out again.

‘Except for the fact that they knew no Prowlers were in the air. That being the case, they decided to try again. They activated their SNR-125 radars another time.

‘Meanwhile, aboard Vega 31 the Air Force pilot [Lt. Col. Dale Zelko] was preparing to drop his ordnance. His weapon bay doors opened, exposing his very radar-reflective bomb bay interior.

‘The SNR-125 radar detected the F-117A five miles distant. We should point out that this strike mission had 3 F-117s in it, and they only were able to target one of them. This reinforces the fact that they were ONLY able to do so because at that time Vega 31’s weapons bays were open.

‘The Serbs fired at least 2 missiles at Vega 31. The F-117A had no indication it was being painted by a targeting radar, but the pilot did visually acquire two missiles that were launched against him. The first missile flew right by the aircraft, passing it overhead. A close miss. The missiles passing buffeted the stealth fighter but it did not detonate, its proximity trigger likely not detecting the F-117 to initiate detonation. The second missile that approached also failed to hit the F-117 but it DID detonate in close proximity.

‘The F-117 took blast and fragment damage. Flight control was lost, and the pilot was forced to eject.

‘Complacency, Strategy and Luck.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force, Srđan Popović via Wikipedia and Petar Milošević via Wikipedia

January 22, 2024 0 comment

History

How the misleading F-19 was born out of the secret development of the F-117

by Till Daisd January 8, 2024

written by Till Daisd

Beginning in the 1980s, four manufacturers offered models of the F-19 Stealth Fighter: Revell, Monogram, Italeri, and Testors

The first operational aircraft in the world built to take advantage of low-observable stealth technology was the F-117A Nighthawk. This precision-strike aircraft employed laser-guided weapons against critical targets while penetrating high-threat airspace. The single-seat F-117A’s distinctive design offered remarkable fighting capability.

In addition to having a wide range of weaponry, the F-117A had advanced attack and navigation systems built into a digital avionics suite, which reduced pilot workload and improved mission performance. Detailed planning for missions into highly defended target areas was accomplished by an automated mission planning system developed specifically to take advantage of the special capabilities of the F-117A.

The urgent national need for a jet fighter that could operate entirely undetected from the enemy led to the development of the Nighthawk. It was built fast and in total secrecy, in a typical Skunk Works way.

Skunk Works founder Kelly Johnson preferred traditional, sleek aircraft designs, but the F-117’s special design allowed it to reflect radar waves. With its angular panels bolstered by an external coating of radar-absorbent material, the aircraft was nearly invisible to radar.

In the summer of 1975, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held a “pole-off” competition. Skunk Work’s design demonstrated unmatched low observability and won Lockheed Skunk Works the contract for Have Blue, the stealth demonstrator that led to the F-117 Nighthawk.

Less than a year after Have Blue’s successful first flight in 1977, DARPA gave Skunk Works the contract for the Nighthawk, and the US Air Force and the Skunk Works team immediately worked together to make F-117 production a reality. Only 31 months after the contract was awarded, the first flight occurred in 1981, and deliveries started the following year.

The aircraft was operated in absolute secrecy for many years after achieving first operating capability in 1983. The program wasn’t made widely known until 1988, and it wasn’t until 1990 that it was first introduced to the public. By this time, the aircraft had been in service for seven years.

Notably, the most mind-blowing fact about the F-117 is that a very unclear picture of the jet led to the creation of one of the most legendary fictional aircraft, the F-19 Stealth Fighter. Noteworthy, the F-19 was based on some very unclear pictures that didn’t show the true shape of the actual plane.

Beginning in the 1980s, four manufacturers offered models of the F-19 Stealth Fighter: Revell, Monogram, Italeri, and Testors. Each of them asserted that the model they used started as a kit based on images of a real aircraft captured in nearby Area 51.

The manufacturers had decades of experience in producing highly detailed models that pilots and aerospace engineers purchased. The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and other media discussed the models after they hit the market in the mid-eighties; when the real stealth aircraft crashed in California in July 1986, news stories used the model to depict it. Representative Ron Wyden asked the chairman of Lockheed Corporation why an aircraft that Congressmen could not see was sold as a model aircraft.

In the meantime, the F-19 became a cult classic; it appeared in Nintendo games and the GI-Joe cartoon series. Everybody agreed it was a real plane, but nobody knew the actual look, the maker, and the role played by the aircraft. The cartoonist who drew the famed Buck Danny comics series depicted all three of the different models of the F-19 parked on the tarmac to make fun of the fact that nobody agreed on the actual shape of the “real” aircraft.

When the F-117 was publicly revealed in November 1988, it was clear that the F-19 did not resemble it, which no doubt pleased those working with the real, black aircraft. However, even though the F-19 Stealth Fighter never came into existence, this one-of-a-kind aircraft that never was will always be remembered as one of the ultimate pop-culture icons of the 1980s.

Photo by Bill Abbott and Bsivko via Wikipedia and U.S. Air Force

January 8, 2024 0 comment

History

The British MoD turned down a US offer in the 1980s for the UK to purchase F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters for the RAF Squadrons

by Till Daisd December 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

In the 1980s, US President Ronald Reagan extended an invitation to Margaret Thatcher to participate in US advanced military programs, including the Space Shuttle program and the Lockheed F-117A stealth fighter.

The first operational aircraft in the world built to take advantage of low-observable stealth technology was the F-117A Nighthawk. This precision-strike aircraft was able to use laser-guided weapons against critical targets while penetrating high-threat airspace.

The decision to produce the F-117A was taken in 1978, and Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, also known as the “Skunk Works,” in Burbank, California, was given the contract. Just thirty-one months following the full-scale development decision, on June 18, 1981, came the first flight over the Nevada test ranges.

Deliveries of the F-117A began in 1982 and ended in the summer of 1990. October 1983 saw the 4450th Tactical Group—now the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico—achieve operational capability as the only F-117A unit under Air Combat Command.

While the Nighthawk was never exported, US President Ronald Reagan offered Margaret Thatcher the opportunity to work on US advanced military programs in the 1980s, including the Lockheed F-117A stealth fighter and the Space Transportation System (STS, as the Space Shuttle program was officially named), according to declassified documents made public by the British National Archives in 2016.

Thatcher concurred, according to Theguardian.com, that the Space Shuttle program was a more cost-effective choice for Britain than the European Ariane disposable launch vehicle. For communications throughout Europe and the Atlantic, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) intended to launch two military satellites, called Skynet 4; the cost of the shuttle launch was £58 million, or £23 million less than that of Ariane.

But the Challenger disaster and the letter from French Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy pleading with Thatcher to rethink her choice played against the Space Shuttle program. Furthermore, according to Theguardian.com, in 1986, President Ronald Reagan desired to provide the UK access to highly-sensitive US military technologies.

After Thatcher “met privately” with Casapar (Cap) Weinberger, the then U.S. defense secretary, to discuss this unique project, the U.K. Prime Minister sent a top secret personal message (on which someone wrote in faint pencil “Stealth”) to the U.S. President where she stated: “Dear Ron, I was immensely impressed by your splendid achievement. Three cheers for America! I was also very touched by the generosity of the offer of participation which [Cap] brought. It brings home once again who our real friends are.”

The goal of the project, code-named “Project Moonflower,” was to sell the United Kingdom the still highly top-secret F-117.

In answer to a US Air Force (USAF) request for an aircraft that could attack high-value targets without being detected by enemy radar, Lockheed created the F-117A. By the 1970s, engineers were able to create an aircraft that was “stealth” or capable of evading radar thanks to new materials and techniques.

Ultimately, the MoD turned down the offer to purchase the Nighthawk to equip Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons since the F-117 was still classified as a black program. Charles Powell, the prime minister’s adviser on international affairs, received a letter from the MoD in December 1986 informing him that “Mr. Weinberger has offered us a chance to purchase the current US aircraft, but we have replied that we would not wish to actually buy hardware while the program remains strictly black [secret].”

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey / U.S. Air Force

December 6, 2023 0 comment

History

The F-117 Nighthawk was one thousand times less visible than the D-21 with an RCS of an Eagle’s Eyeball

by Till Daisd November 27, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The least visible shape produced at the Skunk Works was a thousand times more visible than the F-117A Nighthawk shape

The first operational aircraft in the world built to take advantage of low-observable stealth technology is the F-117A Nighthawk. This precision-strike aircraft employs laser-guided weapons against critical targets while infiltrating areas of high risk.

The decision to produce the F-117A was made in 1978, and Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, also known as the “Skunk Works,” in Burbank, California, was given the contract. Just thirty-one months following the full-scale development decision, on June 18, 1981, came the first flight over the Nevada test ranges.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio’s Aeronautical Systems Center used streamlined management to quickly field the aircraft by combining advanced stealth technology with concurrent development and manufacture.

As the following story from Ben Rich’s book “Skunk Works” demonstrates, the F-117A program proved that stealth aircraft could be conceived, designed, and developed.

As small as an eagle’s eyeball.

Rich, who served Kelly Johnson as the second vice president of Lockheed’s Skunk Works, remembers talking to Denys Overholser, an engineer and radar specialist, about the F-117, the company’s first completely stealthy airframe.

“Boss,” he said, handing me the diamond-shaped sketch, “Meet the Hopeless Diamond.”

“How good are your radar-cross-section numbers on this one?” I asked.

“Pretty good.” Denys Overholser grinned impishly. “Ask me, ‘How good?’”

I asked him and he told me. “This shape is one thousand times less visible than the least visible shape previously produced at the Skunk Works.”

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “Are you telling me that this shape is a thousand times less visible than the D-21 drone?”

“You’ve got it!” Denys exclaimed.

“If we made this shape into a full-size tactical fighter, what would be its equivalent radar signature… as big as what—a Piper Cub, a T-38 trainer… what?”

Denys shook his head vigorously. “Ben, understand, we are talking about a major, major, big-time revolution here. We are talking infinitesimal.”

“Well,” I persisted, “what does that mean? On a radar screen, it would appear as a… what? As big as a condor, an eagle, an owl, a what?”

“Ben,” he replied with a loud guffaw, “try as big as an eagle’s eyeball.”

The F-117 has been in the news as a newly refurbished airframe is on display at the Palm Springs Air Museum in California. Frank Martinez was kind enough to let us share the photo below that he took at Palm Beach.

Despite being officially retired, a large number of F-117s are still in service and are employed for specific research and training missions (like conducting different air combat training sorties with USAF and US Navy aircraft) because of their overall cost-effectiveness and ability to provide special capabilities.

Maybe Ben Rich is smiling down from heaven, knowing that his baby is still active.

Check out the Habubrats Face page, and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder for further Blackbird photos and stories

Photo by Lockheed Martin and Frank Martinez

November 27, 2023 0 comment

History

After this RAF Phantom made an emergency landing at Tonopah AFB, it was stenciled with the words “F-117 DON’T ASK” zap

by Till Daisd November 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

During RED FLAG 90-1, an RAF Phantom FGR.2 (known as F-4M in the US) diverted there and returned to Nellis bearing an F-117 sticker and legend. DON’T ASK

As one of the most capable strike fighters in the world, the Phantom played a significant role in the Royal Air Force’s combat aircraft arsenal for more than two decades.

The Royal Air Force began using two models of the Rolls-Royce Spey-powered Phantom: FG1 (the version also in service by the Royal Navy) for interceptor roles and FGR2 for ground attack and tactical reconnaissance in Germany. Every Royal Air Force Phantom was converted into an interceptor fighter aircraft starting in 1977 and operated only over the United Kingdom airspace.

Great Britain bought fifty-two Phantom FG1s and 118 Phantom FGR2s.

The story of the RAF Phantom that made an emergency landing at Tonopah AFB and was stenciled with an “F-117 DON’T ASK” zap

Following the 1982 South Atlantic deployment of Phantoms, a further order for 15 Phantoms was issued. These were second-hand Navy F-4Js from the United States Navy that were powered by General Electric J-79 engines. Following a comprehensive renovation and the installation of certain British equipment, they were assigned the designation F-4J (UK).

The Phantom fleet’s decommissioning occurred at the end of September 1992 as a result of an expedited run-down brought on by the collapse of the Eastern European threat.

The top-secret F-117 Nighthawk was then housed at Tonopah Air Force Base (AFB), where an RAF Tornado GR1 taking part in a Red Flag exercise in the US made an emergency landing on April 9, 1990.

The Tonka’s fin was adorned with a Nighthawk silhouette as a result of the emergency landing. “The guys at Tonopah had a sense of humor after all, for the silhouette of an F-117 had been stenciled on each side of our tail fin,” Squadron Leader Wally Grout, a former RAF Tornado navigator, said in Ian Hall’s book Tornado Boys.

However, as noted by military aviation writer Mike Crutch in that article, a few months before the Tornado, another RAF aircraft made an emergency landing at Tonopah.

“A RAF Phantom FGR.2 (F-4M in US speak) diverted there during RED FLAG 90-1, arriving back at Nellis with an F-117 sticker and legend DON’T ASK. The diversion took place on Nov. 9, 1989, and the aircraft was Phantom FGR.2 serial XV476 (coded ‘S’ with No.56 Squadron, based at RAF Wattisham, UK but was part of a mix of airframes from UK and RAF Germany bases). So it was 56 Squadron-owned aircraft based at RAF Wattisham, UK, flown at that stage by a 92 Squadron crew based at RAF Wildenrath, West Germany. The zap was applied to the starboard engine intake,” Crutch said.

Keith Hillsmith, who was a former RAF Phantom crew member and wingman of an XV476 during the mission that resulted in the aircraft being diverted to Tonopah, provided more information. “The F-4 crew that diverted to Tonopah were from 94 Squadron RAFG. I was the wingman. Single hydraulic PC failure. Which was a land ASAP.”

Sadly, we were unable to locate any pictures of this aircraft at the time. However, Peter Rolt showed images of a Phantom equipped with an F-117 zap, which proved to be the precise images of the aircraft we were looking for.

As Rolt explained, the photos were taken on June 9–10, 1990, at A&AEE Boscombe Down, during the IAT 1990 airshow (officially titled the Battle of Britain Airshow). “56 Squadron had several jets at IAT at MoD Boscombe Down, they conducted a ‘scramble’ as it was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain-themed airshow.

“The pictures have been sitting in my study since then, recently I have been submitting photographs to a Facebook group for British Phantoms and I have been going through my images, having a little bit of a tidy up there were these strips of transparencies that I had not looked at for thirty years, obviously I noticed it on the day but with so many images from such a large event, they were forgotten until now.

“I asked the Phantom group and it was mentioned one diverted to Tonopah so I Google the specifics and your webpage came up, isn’t technology great.”

Photo by Peter Rolt

November 18, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

RAF didn’t become the only F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter foreign operator

by Till Daisd April 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The “Project Moonflower” program intended to sell the F-117 stealth fighter to the United Kingdom when it was still a top-secret aircraft

According to recently declassified documents made available by the British National Archives, Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States, had given Margaret Thatcher the opportunity to work on advanced military projects throughout the 1980s. Among them were the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter and the Space Transportation System (STS), as the Space Shuttle program was formally known.

Thatcher concurred that the Space Shuttle program was more cost-effective for Britain than the European Ariane expendable launch vehicle, according to Theguardian.com. As the shuttle launch cost £58 million, which was £23 million less than Ariane, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) actually planned to launch two Skynet 4 military satellites to provide communications throughout Europe and the Atlantic.

The Challenger disaster, along with a letter from the French prime minister asking Thatcher to rethink her choice, worked against the Space Shuttle program. Furthermore, according to Theguardian.com, Ronald Reagan sought to transfer highly sensible U.S. military technology to the United Kingdom in 1986.

Thatcher “met privately” with Casapar (Cap) Weinberger, the then-U.S. defense secretary, to discuss this peculiar idea. Thatcher then sent a top-secret personal communication to the U.S. President, on which someone had faintly written “Stealth” where she stated: “Dear Ron, I was immensely impressed by your splendid achievement: three cheers for America! I was also very touched by the generosity of the offer of participation which [Cap] brought. It brings home once again who our real friends are.”

The “Project Moonflower” initiative, which was still classified, attempted to sell the F-117 to the UK.

The Lockheed F-117A was created in response to a request from the United States Air Force (USAF) for an aircraft that could attack valuable targets without being seen by enemy radar. By the 1970s, engineers were able to create an airplane with radar-evading or “stealth” characteristics because of new materials and techniques.

The end result was the F-117A, the first stealth aircraft in use in the world, which made its maiden flight on June 18, 1981.

The MoD ultimately turned down the opportunity to purchase the Nighthawk to outfit Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadrons since the F-117 was still a black program. In fact, the MoD wrote to Charles Powell, the prime minister’s foreign affairs advisor, in December 1986, informing him that “Mr. Weinberger has offered us a chance to purchase the current US aircraft but we have replied that we would not wish to actually buy hardware while the program remains strictly black [secret].”

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey / U.S. Air Force

April 13, 2023 0 comment

History

The “Black Jet” finale, when the USAF retired the F-117 Nighthawk

by Till Daisd April 5, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-117, which was hailed as the first airplane in the world to deploy stealth technology, never ceases to amaze and confound anybody who sees it

The first six examples of the renowned F-117A Nighthawk were decommissioned by the United States Air Force (USAF) on March 13, 2007.

The F-117 was scheduled to be retired by the service in 2011, however, due to expected budget cuts, early retirement was estimated to free up more than $1 billion to purchase additional F-22s.

In order to meet an Air Force demand for a single-seat aircraft that could attack high-value targets without being seen by adversarial radars, the Lockheed F-117A was created. Engineers were able to create an airplane with radar-evading or “stealth” characteristics thanks to new materials and methods discovered in the 1970s.

The end result was the F-117A, the first stealth aircraft in use in the world, which made its maiden flight on June 18, 1981. A total of 64 aircraft were produced, 59 of which were full production models and the remaining five were demonstrators or prototypes. The 4450th Tactical Group, which became the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in October 1989, was the first unit to receive the aircraft. It gained initial operating capability (IOC) in October 1983.

A total of 558 pilots flew the fighter when it was in use, according to Arlan Ponder, 49th Wing Public Affairs, in the article Nighthawk returns to Heritage Park. After their initial flight, they were given a bandit number, and they referred to themselves as “bandits.” Maj. Al Whitley Jr. was the first “bandit” (number 150), and Gen. David Goldfein was the last “bandit” (number 708).

The Collier Trophy, one of the most coveted awards in aviation, was given to the F-117A in 1989. On December 19, 1989, two F-117As from the 37th TFW bombed military objectives in Panama as part of Operation Just Cause.

When the 415th and 416th squadrons of the 37th TFW relocated to a base in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990–1991 the F-117A saw action once more. The F-117As participated in 1,271 sorties during Operation Desert Storm, completing 80 percent of its missions successfully while sustaining no casualties or battle damage.

The Nighthawk also took part in Operation Allied Force, a NATO bombing campaign designed to stop the humanitarian catastrophe that was then engulfing Kosovo. On March 27, 1999, an SA-3 Goa surface-to-air missile fired by the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia, under the command of Colonel Zoltan Dani, brought down an F-117A, Air Force serial number 82-0806, callsign “Vega 31”.

The airstrikes by the F-117s over Baghdad on March 19, 2003, signaled the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIR). The Air Force’s decision to speed up the F-117’s retirement resulted in the F-22A Raptor, another stealth “fighter,” arriving at Holloman in June 2008.

The last F-117s departed Holloman in April 2008 and traveled to Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, for their final resting place after making a stop in Palmdale, California, the city where they were built. In case they were ever called back into service, the aircraft were put in Type 1000 storage (there have been numerous reports of sightings and images of the aircraft flying since then). Because of the dangerous components employed in its manufacture, one Nighthawk paid the ultimate price in late 2008 when it was mechanically destroyed to determine whether it could be repurposed or scrapped.

Former wing historian, Rick Shea, said, “The F-117A served its creator Ben Rich, itself, the USAF, and the ‘Bandits’ it carried into combat beyond their wildest expectations. The F-117A’s list of accomplishments rates with those of the Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Bell X-1. What began as a thought evolved into the world’s premier fighter aircraft.”

The F-117A Nighthawk hailed as the first stealth aircraft in the world has a 27-year history that is chock-full of incidents that actually put it on par with some of the most illustrious jets in history. The “Black Jet” continues to astound, excite, and confound anybody who sees it, from its maiden combat bombing mission in Panama to night strikes in both Iraq Wars until its retirement in 2008.

Source: U.S. Air Force; Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey; Senior Airman Darnell Cannady / U.S. Air Force

April 5, 2023 0 comment

History

How Operation Allied Force’s Serbs managed to shoot down an F-117 Stealth Fighter

by Till Daisd November 14, 2022

written by Till Daisd

‘How were the Serbs able to shoot down an F-117 stealth aircraft? Through a combination of Complacency, Strategy, and Luck,’ Chris Morehouse, Aerospace Engineer at U.S. Air Force.

The F-117A Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft in the world built to take advantage of low-observable stealth technology. By entering high-threat airspace, this precision strike aircraft attacked vital targets with laser-guided weapons.

The last F-117A was delivered in the summer of 1990, with the first being delivered in 1982. The 4450th Tactical Group (later 49th Fighter Wing) at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, became the sole F-117A unit under Air Combat Command in October 1983.

F-117As performed over 1,300 flights during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, hitting 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq with direct hits. It was the only aircraft from the United States or the coalition to hit targets in Baghdad’s center.

To aid NATO’s Operation Allied Force in 1999, 24 F-117As were sent to Aviano Air Base in Italy and Spangdahlem AB in Germany. On March 24, 1999, the aircraft led the first Allied airstrike against Yugoslavia.

One F-117A (AF ser. no. 82-0806) was lost to enemy action three days later, on Mar. 27. How did the Serbs manage to fire down a stealth F-117?

‘Through a combination of Complacency, Strategy, and Luck,’ Chris Morehouse, US Air Force Aerospace Engineer, said on Quora.

An In-Depth Analysis of how Serbs Were Able to Shoot Down An F-117 Stealth Fighter during Operation Allied Force

‘Unfortunately, on the day Vega 31 would be taken out of the sky, the Prowlers were grounded due to weather. The decision was made for the F-117s to fly their strike mission unsupported.

‘Worse yet, the Yugoslavian anti-air forces knew that the Prowlers were grounded, and knew that the F-117s were going to fly a strike mission anyway. How did they know? Because the Serbs had spotters and human intelligence assets in Italy, where the strike missions were flying from. They had also compromised NATO communications in the area and had civilian sources in Italy feeding them intelligence who had access to operational information. In short, the NATO forces had a massive failure in operation security, OPSEC, which was feeding valuable data to the enemy. The Serbs knew the strike was coming, knew the general route, and knew the F-117s would be flying without electronic warfare support.

‘It is important to note that the F-117A is a very lean aircraft. It has no radar of its own. When flying for penetration all of its antennas are retracted. It had a single system that could function as a radar warning receiver, but the antennas are not exposed during a strike mission. As such it has no way of detecting search and tracks radar on its own. Simply put, operating alone, it is effectively blind.’

Morehouse continues;

‘Now let’s discuss the Strategy.

‘The Serbs were learning every available advantage they could to accomplish a shootdown of American aircraft. They knew the war was not a popular option for the US civilian population, and it was perceived that if they could shoot down some American aircraft, they could turn public opinion against the air war. A particularly valued prize would of course be one of the coveted “Stealth Fighters”. As such, they worked diligently to set up anti-air ambushes for NATO aircraft, particularly hunting for the F-117As. How did they do this?

‘For these ambushes, they employed two radar systems. First the P-18 “Spoon Rest D” early warning radar. This radar is a Soviet Union radar system that operates in the VHF frequency. Typical it can detect a fighter aircraft out to 200 nautical miles. The Serbs discovered that by setting it to its absolute lowest frequency, and thus largest bandwidth, they could detect the F-117As. However, in these settings, the radar can not provide very good information on the F-117s, and the “early warning” radar could only detect them within 15 miles. This is a very poor detection range indeed, however, if you just so happen to know the route your enemy is flying, it is enough to let you know when they are getting within range of your other systems.

‘Even when the P-18 is operating at the optimal performance (not at the absolutely lowest frequency) and against a conventional aircraft, it can still not produce a precision tracking of quality to guide a weapon on anything more than a kilometer or so away. That is why these systems are considered ‘early warning’ radar. They are not meant to guide weapons. This brings us to the next system the Serbs used.

‘For their anti-aircraft weapon system, they had the S-125 or SA-3 Goa to NATO. The S-125 had three radar systems; The P-15 Flat Face, SNR-125 Low Blow, and PRV-11 Side Net.

‘The SNR-125 was the fire control radar, intended to guide the missiles onto their targets. This had two modes of operation for detecting aircraft, essential two different radar bands. Nominalnit could detect and track a fighter aircraft between 25–50 miles out, depending on the mode of operation and conditions.

‘The PRV-11 was used as a ‘height finder’ to get an accurate read on a target’s altitude.

‘This SAM system is not usually considered a mobile missile system. But the Serbs had trained diligently, and by only naming their quad missile launchers with two missiles each they were able to relocate the missile system in 90 minutes. Doing so meant they could set up ambush positions with this missile system, and then take down and relocate. So, if a route was flown one day and there were no missile systems detected in the area, the Serbs could be operating in that area just hours later.

‘The Serb had attempted to set up ambushes in this way for the F-117s two times previous to the actual shoot down. They would get an indication of a pending strike mission and move their missile batteries into place to intercept the suspected routes. The P-18 would be able to detect the F-117As when they got within 15 miles, as was mentioned before. Even with the Prowlers flying, the P-18 did not register on their systems as a radar system when operating at their lowest frequency.

‘Luck.’

Morehouse explains:

‘The P-18 radar detected the F-117As when they were about 15 miles out. The Serbs activated their SNR-125 radar and detected… nothing. Looks like they were going to miss out again.

‘Except for the fact that they knew nonProwlers were in the air. That being the case, they decided to try again. They activated their SNR-125 radars another time.

‘Meanwhile, aboard Vega 31 the Air Forcenpilot [Lt. Col. Dale Zelko] was preparing to drop his ordnance. His weapon bay doors opened, exposing his very radar-reflective bomb bay interior.

‘The Serbs fired at least 2 missiles atnVega 31. The F-117A had no indication it was being painted by a targeting radar, but the pilot did visually acquire two missiles that were launched against him. The first missile flew right by aircraft, passing it overhead. A close miss. The missiles passing buffeted the stealth fighter but it did not detonate, its proximity trigger likely not detecting the F-117 to initiate detonation. The second missile that approached also failed to hit the F-117 but it DID detonate in close proximity.

‘The F-117 took blast and fragment damage. Flight control was lost, and the pilot was forced to eject.

‘Complacency, Strategy and Luck.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force, Srđan Popović via Wikipedia and Petar Milošević via Wikipedia

November 14, 2022 0 comment

History

When the F-117 Nighthawk airstrikes started Operation Iraqi Freedom

by Till Daisd October 6, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Hoehn and Toomey learned that their intended location was maybe where Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, was staying

We remember the U.S. Air Force F-117 airstrikes over Baghdad on March 19, 2003, which signaled the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the article Bombs over Baghdad, written by Airman 1st Class Emily A. Kenney, 49th Wing Public Affairs.

The morning of Wednesday was gloomy. The black clouds that covered the sky shook with thunder, and rain poured down. Maj. Mark Hoehn, who was stationed with the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman, observed the sunrise through the clouds, the grays and blues transforming into reds and oranges. Hoehn thought, “Wow, this would be a beautiful sight if I wasn’t about to blow something up.”

He didn’t know who or what his intended target was. Only six hours ago, from Al Udeid Air Base, then Maj. Clint Hinote gave the order “Do whatever it takes to get two aircraft ready for combat tonight.”

Operation Iraqi Freedom started at 5:30 a.m. on March 19, 2003, when the first airstrikes were fired in Baghdad.

Col. Mark Hoehn poses in front of an F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter static display at Heritage Park, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.

“F-117s were used to make the opening attacks on Baghdad on Jan. 17, 1991, the opening salvos on Desert Storm,” said James Burrett, 49th Wing historian. “Just 12 years later, in 2003, F-117s were used again in the first airstrikes over the same city in Iraq at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

Hoehn claimed to have foreseen this day. He had only shaken hands with President George W. Bush four months earlier when he asked, “You ready?”

Maintainers started preparing two Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters for the mission not long after the order was granted. Hoehn claimed that the crew chiefs and maintainers meticulously checked each plane, making sure it was prepared, using modern GPS weapon technology.

As the deadline approached, then Lt. Col. David Toomey looked at Hoehn and asked, “Fuji (Hoehn’s call sign), are you ready to go?”

“You bet,” Hoehn said.

At approximately 3 a.m. the aircraft were prepared to fight. After a quick prayer, Hoehn and Toomey stepped and boarded their jets.

“We were briefed that we would taxi and take off ‘comms out’, not talking to anybody,” Hoehn explained. “We had folks in the tower that flashed a light gun at us, signaling when we were able to taxi and take off. We went completely stealth, with our antennas in, and anything that would omit a signal turned off.”

They continued up the Persian Gulf, stumbling into a thunderstorm while trying to maintain visual flying.

“I remember looking at the fuel gauge as we were approaching the Iraq and Saudi Arabia border, where the tankers were supposed to meet us, and I was really getting nervous,” Hoehn said. “At that point, I had just enough gas to get back to Al Jaber (Air Base in Kuwait). If I was going to make it to Iraq, I needed fuel and I needed it soon.”

It didn’t take him very long to wait. A KC-135 Stratotanker arrived shortly after to deliver the critical fuel. Toomey first refueled his aircraft before directing it directly north toward Iraq. Hoehn then connected to the tanker and started refueling.

“Sir, it sounds like you’ve got an interesting mission,” said the in-flight refueling specialist. “Can you tell us anything about it?”

“Unfortunately I don’t know much more than you,” Hoehn said. “All I know is to put bombs on coordinates at a certain time.”

Hoehn ordered the refueling tanker pilot to drag him north into Iraq to save time while he was being refueled as the time-over-target (TOT) drew near. He dispersed from the tanker and moved in the direction of his destination once his tank was full.

Hoehn immediately went back into mission mode. He claimed to have observed the Tigris river weaving through Baghdad through the cloud cover.

“I wasn’t able to see my target because of the overcast, but I was able to see landmarks enough to know that my cursor was, if not directly on, within a few meters of the spot I was targeting.”

Even though the target was still hidden, Hoehn released his weapons and used the GPS weapons system to hit the target at precisely 5:30 in the morning. Hoehn and Toomey swiftly turned their aircraft and left Baghdad as soon as the bombs dropped.

“I reached over and pushed the throttle even further forward to get as much speed as possible, and get out of there,” Hoehn said. “I didn’t really start feeling comfortable until at least 30-40 minutes outside of Baghdad. Then I thought, what’s next? I hadn’t really thought it through this far in the mission, and once again, I was running low on fuel.”

Hoehn turned on his antennas and radioed the Airborne Warning and Control System at that point (AWACS). He informed AWACS of his general location and received instructions on where to locate a tanker for refueling.

He flew to the tanker track area in the south after spotting a tanker waiting. When he hooked up, he recognized the tanker as the one that had previously refueled him.

The same in-flight refueling specialist asked, “So how did everything go?”

“Well, I’m about 4,000 pounds lighter,” Hoehn said. “I can’t wait to go back and find out exactly what we hit, but you guys were a big part of it.”

In order to readily communicate with the Air Traffic Controllers at Al Udeid, Hoehn flew the same path on his return trip.

“When I landed and pulled back into the hangar, there were probably 100 people there,” Hoehn said. “Nobody slept at all. All the maintainers and the rest of the squadron were there. As the doors opened, everyone tried to look and see if the bombs were gone, and when they saw that they were, everyone cheered.”

Hoehn and Toomey learned their destination was where Saddam Hussein would be living during the mission debrief. Even though they missed Hussein that evening, Hoehn thinks that the attack made Hussein frightened and act sporadically, making him vulnerable to capture later.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron D. Allmon II, Airman 1st Class Emily A. Kenney, and Senior Airman Brian Ferguson / U.S. Air Force

October 6, 2022 0 comment

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