Farewell (for now) to a combat proven aircraft and veteran of many conflicts. :salute:


"DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- The world's first attack aircraft to employ stealth technology is slipping quietly into history.

The inky black, angular, radar-evading F-117, which spent 27 years in the Air Force arsenal secretly patrolling hostile skies from Serbia to Iraq, will be put in mothballs next month in Nevada."



http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/11/stealth.fighter.ap/index.html

That airplane was the reason the Soviets didn't cross the Fulda Gap in the late `80s, and the reason Saddam was unable to sleep safely at night in two wars, and was responsible for exterminating Serb thugs in Bosnia. It's a shame to see it go, but at least it got to see so much combat while it was around.

It was great in its day, but now you have the F-22 and F-35, both of which have equal stealth capabilities, and can fight against other fighters on the way in if discovered by the bad guys.

Semper Fi to a great aircraft.

I'm not sure the pilots will miss the "Wobbly Goblin". They are probably get seats in the new stealth planes.
Kudos and job well done :patriot:

One of my all-time favorite aircrafts.

It had to go mainly because it was always a pain in the ass to maintain and the older they get the more you have to patch. 93Deville hit it on the mark about the capabilities, too, between its speed and air-to-air survivability, the third-gen stealths are far superior. Just think it was less than 20 years ago, that I was at the coming out party at Nellis. (Back then I was into 3D photography which doesn't digitize well)

Thank god it's gone. I've heard more horror stories with guys having to work on those damn things then any other plane in service today.

As far as maintenance goes,that isn't a surprise to me. While the plane is obsolete now, it was way ahead of anything (that was public knowledge) in its day. There really wasn't any other aircraft which was designed to be that advabced yet that aerodynamically unstable. I mean, the thing was shaped like a wedge and made with stealth capabilities never used before. Combine all of this into a plane designed for combat, and you have a very long list of things that could and did go wrong.

Thank god it's gone. I've heard more horror stories with guys having to work on those damn things then any other plane in service today.


It had a very special and difficult mission to perform with technology coming out of the 70s when it was designed. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Salute to an extraordinary aircraft. :patriot:

Bummer,I've never seen one in person.

Bummer,I've never seen one in person.

Believe me, you haven't missed much. The "Wobbly Goblin" was butt ugly compared to the Raptor which is sexier than an Enzo.

Go to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. You'll see the F-117 and a hell of a lot of other stuff that'll blow your socks off. In my estimation there is more to see than the Air & Space museum. It's a great destination for a vacation if you're a flying fanatic. I also reccommend the Garber restoration facility in Silver Springs , Maryland. It is inconceivable to me that anybody within several days drive hasn't been to either place. Be sure you have plenty of time to enjoy it.

Go to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. You'll see the F-117 and a hell of a lot of other stuff that'll blow your socks off. In my estimation there is more to see than the Air & Space museum. It's a great destination for a vacation if you're a flying fanatic. I also reccommend the Garber restoration facility in Silver Springs , Maryland. It is inconceivable to me that anybody within several days drive hasn't been to either place. Be sure you have plenty of time to enjoy it.
Good tips!

I live 20 miles from the smokey hill bombing range,we get to see lots of toys but have never seen a 117.

The F117 is very cool and will go down in history. I think the F22 Raptor will do a better job. It is more "steathly" and flies more like a fighter. I saw a squadron landing at Nellis when I was at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving a 600hp NASCAR. I have the video! Driving the car was awesome! but seeing the Raptor for the first time was really cool!

^^ Post that video!

I went to the AF Museum about 12 years ago, and the F117 was there then, I think they've added some new things since. It was a great place to see.

It had a very special and difficult mission to perform with technology coming out of the 70s when it was designed. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Tis true but this thing was around for a lot longer then it really needed to be and after talking with a couple of guys who had to work on them they were so happy to hear that it was getting retired.

I see in the paper this morning that the F-117 replacement has turned into a TRILLION dollar deal.

I see in the paper this morning that the F-117 replacement has turned into a TRILLION dollar deal.

I dunno why they would even bother wasting money on a replacement. The F-117 was a small stealth bomber, well we have a much bigger stealth bomber in the B-1 and the F-117 had no way to defend itself while the Raptor can. The F-117's replacements are already here IMO

^^ Post that video!

I would but I don't have a DVR I can't get it off of the VHSC tape. I know I need to get more "digital" but I bought my camcorder 8 years ago before digital and it still works great.

I dunno why they would even bother wasting money on a replacement. The F-117 was a small stealth bomber, well we have a much bigger stealth bomber in the B-1 and the F-117 had no way to defend itself while the Raptor can. The F-117's replacements are already here IMO
The F-22/F-35 program is going to cost a TRILLION dollars.

The F-117 was a small stealth bomber, well we have a much bigger stealth bomber in the B-1 and the F-117 had no way to defend itself while the Raptor can. The F-117's replacements are already here IMO


B-2 ? (the B-1 isn't very stealthy)



The F-22/F-35 program is going to cost a TRILLION dollars.

At the time both the F-22 and the F-35 were proposed we were still in the Cold War and the projected production numbers at the time dictated the original pricing and development cost. Since that time of course the Cold War ended, military requirements reduced and final order numbers were greatly diminished causing the price of each aircraft to go up A LOT (same with the B-2).

However with the Russians getting "brave" again and the Chinese increasing their military spending and R&D into advanced aircraft, we better increase those orders back to original numbers. :D

I dunno why they would even bother wasting money on a replacement. The F-117 was a small stealth bomber, well we have a much bigger stealth bomber in the B-1 and the F-117 had no way to defend itself while the Raptor can. The F-117's replacements are already here IMO

Well they want to replace it because A. It's Obsolete B. The Raptor is a superior stealth "fighter" as in only light bomb payloads C. The Russians are gearing up to produce the Su-47 Berkut (golden eagle) a Fighter/Bomber very intimidating.

Is this were 1987 issue C and A would Flip spots. :D

I find this interesting. On the new MiG-35 they have a revamped imaging system called OLS. They (the Russians) gloat it'll be great for tracking/targeting aircraft, even stealth craft. Based on visual and IR, I still doubt its potency compared to the long-range radar capabillities of the F-22.

http://www.aviapedia.com/video/new-mig-35-ols-video

I find this interesting. On the new MiG-35 they have a revamped imaging system called OLS. They (the Russians) gloat it'll be great for tracking/targeting aircraft, even stealth craft. Based on visual and IR, I still doubt its potency compared to the long-range radar capabillities of the F-22.

http://www.aviapedia.com/video/new-mig-35-ols-video

I wouldn't underestimate the Bear they might have more up their sleeves than you think.

B2 FTW.

Best looking aircraft ever.

B2 FTW.

Best looking aircraft ever.

I prefer the look of the Tu-160 blackjack

Oh I forgot about this one....

The EKRANOOOOPLAAAAAN! (Caspian Sea Monster)

Definitely the best (oddest) looking bit of aviation ever made.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Ekranoplan_of_1980s.jpg

Oh I forgot about this one....

The EKRANOOOOPLAAAAAN! (Caspian Sea Monster)

Definitely the best (oddest) looking bit of aviation ever made.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Ekranoplan_of_1980s.jpg

Ah the Soviet Union always keeping the world on it's toes.

I hear their's a reunion in the works for sometime in the near future. :D

Soviet Reunion. LOL.

Russia doesn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. They have two sources of revenue, oil and income tax and both are struggling.

Russia doesn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. They have two sources of revenue, oil and income tax and both are struggling.

And why is that, well you can thank the inept leadership of Boris Yeltsin form 1991-1999 (when he fled Russia fearing a possible coue). You try stabilizing a nation that was torn apart just 17 short years ago and has little to no economic reconstruction, little to no protection domestic industry against imports (i.e. import taxes), until 9 years ago and was the home of Iosep Stalins "brilliant" 5 years plans.

Don't sell the Soviets short. They make some awesome planes like the SU-30!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as33-0npooQ

The F-15 Eagle has NEVER been defeated in aerial combat. The current score of all nations flying it is 104 to 0. The Russians make all sorts of claims about one or two prototypes. Over 90% of the Russian airforce sits sinking into the mud. In any case the most important component of any combat aircraft is the pilot and there is absolutely no debate as to who holds the hammer there.

The most widely circulated pictures and videos of Russian combat aircraft are of spectacular crashes.

You need to get past the cold war. Google on "SU-30 buyers" and look at the potential global market (translated as threats) to the US. To the earlier question of why we must keep our edge, this is one example.

You need to get past the cold war. Google on "SU-30 buyers" and look at the potential global market (translated as threats) to the US. To the earlier question of why we must keep our edge, this is one example.
I've been seeing this superior Russian hardware threat stuff for fifty years or more. The trouble with it is that a few fighters don't make an airforce. There has to be somebody to fly them and there has to be support in place all the way from mechs and techs to aerial refuling tankers. Without the ability to project force they are more a threat to the people of their own country than to anybody else.

I doubt the Koreans had a huge infrastructure in the 50's but they still managed to knock some of our guys out of the sky. The MIG-15 was superior to the F86 in its day. The MIG had a higher ceiling, higher rate of climb and better acceleration. Experience saved our guys, having just come out of WWII.

I doubt the Koreans had a huge infrastructure in the 50's but they still managed to knock some of our guys out of the sky. The MIG-15 was superior to the F86 in its day. The MIG had a higher ceiling, higher rate of climb and better acceleration. Experience saved our guys, having just come out of WWII.
The Mig-15 had unboosted controls that acted like they were locked in concrete at higher speeds. Our guys used this flaw to their advantage and achieved a kill ratio in excess of 10:1. The American guys were better able to exploit the Mig-15's weaknesses than the enemy exploited the F-86's weaknesses.

Any Russian aircraft that I've examined closely; Mig-15, 17, 21, AN 124, and a couple of SUs is as crudely made as hammered shit. Probably the best Migs flying are the team flown by the Vodka company and are more Bondo than anything else.

That's good info, but my point was the Koreans were recording kills without the tech support our air force had.

Heh, apparently the NATO reporting name for the Mig-15 is ***ot.

god damn filter

reporting name is f agot

That's good info, but my point was the Koreans were recording kills without the tech support our air force had.
The Russians were all over the Koreans helping them all the way up to and including pilots. There were Russians that claimed "Ace" status for their actions.

It was my fave fighter too

The Wobbly Goblin was never a fighter (another one of the reason I disliked it) It was another single purpose aircraft like the F-111 and the Air Force shoulda learned from that fiasco, but couldn't convince Congress otherwise.

It was another single purpose aircraft like the F-111 and the Air Force shoulda learned from that fiasco, but couldn't convince Congress otherwise.

The F-111F was one of the most, if not the most, successful strike aircraft during Desert Storm. It was credited with over 1500 tank kills, more than any other aircraft in theater.

The F-111F was one of the most, if not the most, successful strike aircraft during Desert Storm. It was credited with over 1500 tank kills, more than any other aircraft in theater.

Yeah, but at what cost. Why risk a trained pilot and a multi-million dollar aircraft, not to mention the operational cost of fuel and maintenance. Sure once we secured the skies, there was no air-to-air threat, but that's an old and expensive aircraft doing a mission better suited for Predator drones (another instance of the "pilot mafia" justifying their own worth).

UAVs/Drones weren't that advanced in 1991. The Predator didn't even enter service until 1995.

For the mission assigned the F-111F appears to have been the best candidate for the job at the time, 17 years ago. Considering all of the different platforms in theater during Desert Storm, for it to come out on top definitely says something in it's favor.

UAVs/Drones weren't that advanced in 1991. The Predator didn't even enter service until 1995.

For the mission assigned the F-111F appears to have been the best candidate for the job at the time, 17 years ago. Considering all of the different platforms in theater during Desert Storm, for it to come out on top definitely says something in it's favor.

The A-10 Warthog guys will give you a big argument about who the real tank killer is. What was the availability rate of the F-111 compared to the Warthog's 95.7%

UAVs/Drones weren't that advanced in 1991. The Predator didn't even enter service until 1995.

If you say so...... :patriot: Time for me to shut the hell up.

The A-10 Warthog guys will give you a big argument about who the real tank killer is. What was the availability rate of the F-111 compared to the Warthog's 95.7%

It was at 85% during the war. It flew half the number of overall sorties as the A-10 and yet was still able to have a greater number of armor kills. That's because they optimized it's advantages and used it when/where it was the most capable.

It was at 85% during the war. It flew half the number of overall sorties as the A-10 and yet was still able to have a greater number of armor kills. That's because they optimized it's advantages and used it when/where it was the most capable.
Of course it was out of service for the latest war and the Warthog soldiered on running up its score.

Of course it was out of service for the latest war and the Warthog soldiered on running up its score.

Lots of platforms got retired from 1991 to 2003. The F-111 went out in 1998 as the F-15E came up to speed and replaced it. Since the A-10 came online 10 years after the F-111, it's still got a few years to catch up on :D

....

Oh I forgot about this one....

The EKRANOOOOPLAAAAAN! (Caspian Sea Monster)

Definitely the best (oddest) looking bit of aviation ever made.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Ekranoplan_of_1980s.jpg

Is there enough fuel in the World to fly that monstrosity? Eight jet engines, the people that designed that, should have been executed or banished to a Siberian mental gulag!:histeric:

Is there enough fuel in the World to fly that monstrosity? Eight jet engines, the people that designed that, should have been executed or banished to a Siberian mental gulag!:histeric:

And from a tactical perspective, what does it actually DO besides soak up SAMs?

And from a tactical perspective, what does it actually DO besides soak up SAMs?

Looks awesome. That's what it does.

Is there enough fuel in the World to fly that monstrosity? Eight jet engines, the people that designed that, should have been executed or banished to a Siberian mental gulag!:histeric:

It gets similar fuel economy to a mid '70s Cadillac Eldorado. :p

Looks awesome. That's what it does.



It gets similar fuel economy to a mid '70s Cadillac Eldorado. :p

Maybe it's a troop transport. It's way too big, though. That's Russia for you: build it big and ugly and hope no one notices how crappy it is.

It was designed as a transport ship, but the problem was, it needed to fly over water to work, and seeing as how it was built on the Caspian Sea, it could only fly over the Caspian Sea. When it reached land, it had to stop and turn back.

But you gotta admit, that thing looks intimidating as all hell. It's just a tad smaller than the Spruce Goose.

That plane wasn't made to "fly" persay but it was more of a hydrofoil craft then plane. I think I remember reading that it was made to cross the Caspian Sea as a troop transporter. I saw video of it in action on the history channel not too long ago and it just skims across the water. The pic that I~LUV posted was actually the second one made, the first one didn't look as modern or as cool as that one looks like.

The A-10 Warthog guys will give you a big argument about who the real tank killer is.Don't forget those Apache's either. Now that we're talking about it I think we have too many anti-tank weapons lol

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. Thanks Blackout.

I'd love to get one of those and cruise across Lake Superior, and you know, bomb Wisconsin.

Sorry I didn't notice the 2 ramjet engines on the tail. That thing had no designers, it was a "Tool Time" creation just "more power." They are lucky the whole damn thing didn't just explode, what overkill!

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. Thanks Blackout.No problem:thumbsup: I was watching a special on the history channel and they were talking about all of these top secret prototypes that Russia has had and this was one of the prototypes they were talking about. It was a really good special

I'd love to get one of those and cruise across Lake Superior, and you know, bomb Wisconsin.rofl. I guess you can now since Brett Favre is outta there now

Here's what the Caspian Sea Monster looked like in action
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6666/monster1ad5.jpg

Supposedly Russia is talking about making a new one
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=398970

Here's what the Caspian Sea Monster looked like in action
http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6666/monster1ad5.jpg

Supposedly Russia is talking about making a new one
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=398970

:thepan::bling: See, things like this are the reason that the Soviet Union imploded and lost the Cold War. The spent entirely too much on rediculous defense projects like this one. They could keep masses upon masses of tanks ready to roll into Germany, could build up to 27,000 ICBMs, and could ship AKs to every third world brushfight that lit off, but couldn't even feed their own people.

Just imagine, you're out on the Caspian sea in a little 15' fishing boat and THAT flys over you. How freakin' cool would that be??? That is if you weren't killed by it.

The Soviet Union sounds like France during the 15th century. Spending all their money on things for the government, and giving very little to the citizens.

The Soviet Union sounds like France during the 15th century. Spending all their money on things for the government, and giving very little to the citizens.

More like screwing the citizens over while their rulers lived in luxury. Funny, both 15th century France and the former Soviet Union starved you left and right, put your money into building their power structure, but killed you if you protested the fact that your family couldn't afford dinner.