The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk It has been one of the most advanced fighter-bomber aircraft in the world. With a tremendously particular and recognizable design, it is one of the planes that has been seen most times in cinema and television due to its futuristic and advanced appearance. The F-117 is no longer in service, and the few that remain are used for training or have been relegated to aviation history museums.
Still today, almost 40 years after it took flight, few aircraft are as incredible in technology and design, that it will always be an icon of the air and modern warfare. The F-117 became, when it entered service, a first-generation stealth fighter. Because yes, he Nighthawk it was a stealth fighter-bomber, with stealth technology that would allow it to slip behind enemy lines without being seen.
Furthermore, it was a nuclear-capable tactical bomber, and although it was never used for a nuclear attack, it was widely used in the Gulf War for precise bombing.
The story behind the F-117 is full of mystery. It was designed as a secret aircraft, and both the Nighthawk and the B-2 SpiritDuring their development, they were considered as UFO sightings, not only because of their way of flying, but also because of their spectacular design. And because they took off, they were tested at the base of Groom Lakepopularly known as Area 51, although its first official flight to the public was made from the Nellis base.
F-117: the stealth fighter mistaken for a UFO
The F-117 Nighthawk was secretly designed and tested during the 1970s, although it was not until the 1980s that its existence as a stealth-designed attack aircraft was revealed. capable of carrying laser and GPS guided bombs. Quite an advanced fighter for its time.
Keep in mind that although the F-117 was considered to be a bomber-capable fighter, it was not intended for interception of other aircraft or for aerial combat. His main weapon of defense is that he was a stealth fighter, invisible. Created and designed to penetrate air borders, be invisible to radar and SAM systems, and, precisely, be the spearhead to destroy enemy defensive and detection systems. Invisible to radars to destroy radars. Almost nothing.
This way of operating meant that the F-117 flew unescorted, unlike other fighter-bombers, and therefore had no defensive systems. Therefore, it could be shot down if another plane “seen” it, but luckily its speed and stealth systems made it invisible.
Of the 64 models of F-117 Nighthawk manufactured and built (divided between 5 YF-117A, 59 F-117A), only one was shot down by direct enemy action. One. And this is his story.
On March 27, 1999, an F-117A Nighthawk, codename Vega 31, was shot down by Serbian forces during the Kosovo War using a standard V-600 surface-to-air missile on an S-125 Neva M platform, designed in the 1960s. A cheap and very common standard defense missile for SAM systems, it was able to shoot down the most advanced fighter-bomber of the time. How was it possible? Chris Morehouse, aerospace engineer of the US Air Force, explains it in a now famous post in Quora: “Through a combination of complacency, strategy, and luck“.
The luck of seeing an invisible plane
The F-117A Nighthawk was invisible, but was shot down by a man-portable air defense system that it was supposedly capable of attacking without being seen. And in the first place, as Morehouse pointed out, complacency was the first mistake. The routes used by the F-117s had been repeated several times during operations in Kosovo. A very different strategy from that of the F-117 during the Gulf War, which never repeated the same. He was invisible, yes, but in Kosovo the allied forces made him predictable
Second, the strategy. The Serbs weren’t particularly good at shooting down advanced Allied aircraft, but that was their goal. And they did it right: they used every tool at their disposal to shoot down an American plane, and especially a stealth plane. They were especially well organized to create anti-aircraft ambushes for NATO aircraft, particularly looking for F-117As. But, again, it was invisible.
To do this, they came up with a way to detect the stealthy signal of the F-117A using several radar systems: the early warning P-18 “Spoon Rest D” and those integrated in the S-125 had, including the systems P-15 Flat Face, SNR-125 Low Blow and PRV-11 Side Net.
The key was to use the P-18 “Spoon Rest D” early warning system but in a different way than it was designed. This Soviet system used the VHF frequency and was capable of detecting a fighter plane up to 200 nautical miles, but not the F-117. However, the Serbs found that by setting it to its lowest frequency, and therefore longest wavelength, they could detect the F-117As. Nevertheless, could only do it within 15 miles, a very short distance for air defense. That, together with the fact that they knew the route of the fighters because they always flew the same way, made things very easy for them to ambush him:
“With the P-18 detecting that there was an F-117 in the area, they would take their time for a possible intercept and when they thought it was close enough, they would activate the SNR-125 radar in the estimated direction of the F-117. They limited the time the SNR-125s were active due to the risk of being detected by the aircraft and to avoid being attacked by their anti-Radar missiles.”
Explanation by Chris Morehouse, Air Force Engineer.
The rest was made by luck.
On the day of the shoot down, the Serbs had information that the F-117s would be flying an attack mission without the support of the Prowlers, which used to be his escort for electronic warfare. Being well trained to set up these ambushes, the Serbs brought their S-125 missile system into position with the F-117, but detected nothing. Although luck was on his side.
Aboard the F-117A, the pilot opened the weapons system hatch to carry out his mission. And when you open the gates, the interior of the plane itself was revealed, which did reflect the radar. SNR-125 radar detected the F-117A five miles away. By sheer luck:
They fired at least 2 missiles at Vega-31. The first missile flew right next to the plane, passing it over the top, but missed. The second missile that approached also did not hit the F-117, but it did detonate very close. The F-117 sustained blast and fragment damage. Flight control was lost and the pilot was forced to jump.
The Serbs had shot down a stealth fighter-bomber by tempting fate.