The F-117 Nighthawk is the most fascinating aircraft ever created. Despite officially having retired from frontline service all the way back in 2008, the “Stealth Fighter” can still be spotted flying overhead today executing missions that prove its worth decades after everybody assumed it would be nothing but a memory. Its angular, faceted appearance and storied past have made it a legend, but what actually explains its continued presence isn’t nostalgia—it’s the airplane’s durability and continued usefulness.
The history of the Nighthawk began after the Vietnam War, when American defense planners were searching for new ways to counter advanced air defense systems. Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works accepted the challenge with complete secrecy, massaging the jet from proven pieces of equipment such as trainers’ T-38 engines and flight control systems derived from the F-16. What they produced was an entirely novel concept: a stealth-driven jet more than anything else.
Its angular shape was intended to refract radar waves, and it had special paints that minimized its size. It had an incredible effect—its radar outline was said to be no bigger than a marble. The aircraft first took to the air in 1977 and officially entered service in 1983, but the public did not see it until years later, generating rumors and speculation as to whether it actually existed.
When it was finally put to the test in combat, the F-117 did not hesitate to prove its worth. Through Panama and into the Gulf War, it proved capable of striking major targets within highly defended areas with unparalleled precision. In Desert Storm, Nighthawks flew only a small percentage of the total sorties but delivered a large percentage of the most damaging hits, without losing one aircraft to hostile fire. This capability to skirt defenses and make precision strikes redefined war in the modern era, demonstrating that fewer aircraft could do more with much less danger to pilots.
Yet, time exposed the Nighthawk’s weaknesses. It was never fast, agile, or multi-role friendly. More advanced fighter jets like the F-22 and F-35 surpassed it with greater range, speed, and versatility. But rather than retiring the whole fleet, the Air Force gave the F-117 new life in specialty uses where its one advantage still reigns supreme.
Today, the Nighthawk is used regularly to train, where it uses a mock aggressor role to simulate stealthy attackers. Its radar and infrared returns make it ideal to utilize in testing how sensors and pilots react to low-observable threats. It is also a good platform to utilize when testing new stealth paint, avionics, and mission systems. The engineers can refurbish the aircraft quite quickly, hence this is an affordable testbed for ideas that can shape the future of air-to-air combat.
Keeping the F-117 in the fleet also has practical benefits. By using these aircraft for difficult training, the Air Force avoids wearing out its limited stock of advanced fighters, which are more expensive and harder to replace. It also conserves priceless hands-on experience with respect to the operation and maintenance of first-generation stealth technology, information that still offers lessons to be learned as the next generation of aircraft is designed.
Most of the remainder of the fleet is based at the remote Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, a site traditionally reserved for covert operations. Some have been broken up, donated to museums, or reclaimed over the years, but there are some that remain under maintenance agreements capable of flight. Current plans are to maintain at least some of the fleet airworthy through the 2030s, if not for combat.
Among the more recent innovations has been the compatibility of the Nighthawk with the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, which allows for longer and more complex training flights. Air refueling contributes to its worth in scenarios where endurance is a factor, but another illustration of how designs from decades past can be discovered anew in today’s needs.
Ultimately, why the F-117 still flies isn’t about preserving a relic—it’s about having a proven, convenient tool when necessary. With programs like next-generation air dominance in the works, the need for proven stealth targets and convenient test platforms has only grown. The Nighthawk, with its tried-and-true signature and adaptable mission, still fills that niche better than almost anything else.
Its heritage, however, was sealed long ago. As the world’s first stealth fighter to be used operationally, it transformed the face of war. It is no longer deployed on the front lines today but as a stepping stone between yesterday’s innovation and tomorrow’s breakthrough—a reminder that yesterday’s revolutionary aircraft can still influence tomorrow’s victories.