Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk: The Futuristic Ghost Plane 

I have to admit that if I had seen the F-117 flying around before its existence was publicized, I would have been certain that it was an alien spaceship.

Fun fact: in the book “Skunk Works” by Ben Rich, he describes selling what would become the F-117 to the Pentagon by rolling a ball bearing across the desk to one Air Force general after another and saying “here’s your new fighter plane.” The point was that it’s radar cross section was equivalent to that ball bearing.

That's your next channel: "The History Of Every War Ever"

Enemy radar technician: why is that bird traveling at 2000km/h?

Really makes you wonder what crazy shit they've built now that we won't find out about for another 30 years

Computers, they don't get tired. My computer dying anytime it plays a game at minimum graphics: "KILL ME PLEASE"

The F-117: "The Fighter that's NOT really a Fighter"

One of my favorite details about this plane is that its distinctive look came from said flat panels, which were necessary because computer modeling software was not yet powerful enough to do the radar return calculations on a traditional curved design, so instead they calculated each panel separately then assembled them together. That's how far ahead of its time this plane was.

Simon, you didn't cover the time Steven Seagal and Kurt Russell used an F-117 to save Halle Berry from terrorists

Trivia: Executive Decision is the only movie where Steven Seagal actually dies. Killed by exploding F-117.

If I had chance to own any plane just as a display piece, this would be my third choice behind the SR-71 and F-14.

You forgot to mention the famous incident where the F-117 did a mid-air transfer of a group of navy seals on to an hi-jacked 747 through a hatch underneath the 747’s belly. Tragically Lt. Colonel Austin Travis was killed during the transfer, the F-117 pilot was able to make a safe landing however the SEAL team onboard the 747 was successfully able to retake control of the aircraft and perform a safe landing.

When they were testing them at Area 51 the Russians saw heat negatives of them from infrared cameras on their satellites and they sent us a sketch of the outline of them. After that the staff at Area 51 would drag plywood cutouts of weird and wild shapes on to the aprons and before their satellites would fly over they would drag them back into the hangers leaving weird and wild heat negatives to mess with them.

Remember playing an computer game about this plane back in the 1980's, the fun part is that the low polygon model in the game ended up being much more accurate than the loading image who looked more like an F-15 :)

"F-114 Nighthawk": Invisible Some Serbian guy with old soviet rocket system in 1999: I didnt know that

Whenever I'd be trucking through Alamogordo I'd park at the Walmart and watch the 117A's do touch and go's all afternoon. It was like getting a private air show, what a treat! Those were the days. Also got to watch the shuttle land at Edwards one day while parked along hwy 58 beside the base, good times!! Sad they were retired, awesome planes!!

I found Simons channels a while ago, I have been hooked ever since. Seriously Simon you and your channels have helped me learn so much. Much love from Townsville Australia

Love the episode. I worked on the F117A from 1996 to 1999 when I was in the 7th fighter squadron. Most of the info was correct. The reports I heard personally from pilots was the aircraft flew great due to the fly by wire system. In fact without the fly by wire it would never get off the ground. There are a lot more small corrections I could make but if I told you I would have to kill out lol. Great episode it was good to see the old plane again. One of the pictures you showed was of a plane I worked on. Thanks!

My uncle (RIP) worked on this at Lockheed. Growing up for years he told everyone that he worked on the SR-71. Then, when it was ‘revealed’ in the attack on Panama, he then revealed that he’d been working on it for years and sent me a bunch of swag about it (a tie and tie-pin, a toy, etc...).

I've had the incredible good fortune to have been provided a detailed tour of this bird and was even allowed to sit in the cockpit (static of course). What totally amazed me was the plethora of standard (i.e analog) instrumentation, considering the futuristic designs of every other facet of the ac (mind, this was many years ago). Now, I'm all for the idea of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and I'm also keenly aware that digital presentation of instrument readings are in some cases, actually slower that analog (again, at that time) but it did really surprise me. I suspect current Nighthawk's panels are fully 'glass' at this time but I did find this a surprise. Incredible ac regardless and I feel privileged to have a friend who was a pilot of it provide me such an opportunity.

Read "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich if you want to know how they did it!

Many years ago, while visiting my brother in the California desert, he pointed out a black triangle winking out stars in the night sky. He smiled and said "that doesn't exist yet". It went public a year later.

I was born in southern New Mexico in the early 90s, and I once saw a few F-117s flying overhead one day. They are terrifying to behold, but somehow enchanting as well. That, I think, is where my love for military aviation began.

“Might not have heard of this plane” *grew up where the thing was built and saw it flying almost every day* hehehe

It was insanely complex to shot it down with old Soviet missile guy who shot it down have incredible story how he done it, later he and Pilot become friends :) Greetings from Serbia!

An interesting bit of history about the F-117: Most people have heard that the F-117 was not an actual fighter- that the "F" for "fighter" designation was a lie, either to deceive the Soviets or to attract fighter pilots who would otherwise be turned off by an "attack" aircraft.That is actually an urban legend and not true. The F-117 is a fighter, capable of shooting down other aircraft. One of the missions that the F-117 was supposed to do on the first night of WWIII was to shoot down Soviet AWACs and tanker aircraft. The plane is capable of carrying the Sidewinder missile and it's forward-looking infrared system would be used to locate and track large aircraft at night. The F-117 was not a dogfighter like the F-16, or an air superiority aircraft like the F-15. It didn't carry massive 2000lb anti-bomber LRMs like the F-14. The F-117 was a night fighter and bomber, able to attack large support aircraft and then escape undetected. Thankfully, we did not have to witness the F-117's air-to-air capability as the Cold War never went hot. The F-117 found its niche as an invisible bomber that could strike high-value targets Source: Fighter Pilot Podcast - Episode 072 - F-117 Nighthawk

US: "We have a plane that is invisible to radars." . . . Serbia: "Hold my rakija."

You are the DaVinci of RU-vid, Simon. Fighter aircraft, battleships, individual biographies, theoretical objects, the intricate programs of dictators; you do it all. Massive thanks and respect for all the time and effort. A+ content.

"If it looks good, it flies good" *enter Nighthawk* Hey, who brought the pizza box?

Oh we finally got some new music, I like it.

Simon's next channel: history of every war ever😂

I saw an F117 when I was a kid at an airshow in Maine. They had it fenced off with armored guards. We got to walk up a stair set that overlooked the rear of the plane. My brother and I debated whether it was even real. Until we were leaving...and it took off. When of the coolest moments of my life, hands down. Still one of my favorite aircrafts ever.

I remember watching one of these fly in the 90's at an airshow. Security was insane, but was still so cool to see. I also have the old ERTL diecast that was based off the grainy photo, and it's so funny how far off the dimensions are on the toy.

Apparently, When they were testing models of it on the radar range at Area 51 (and after Lockheed had replaced the the supporting pole with a more stealthy one!) They went through various frequencies having not seen anything and all of a sudden they got a return-it turned out to be a bird perching on the model!

"Where do you buy your clothes?" "Why, Senior Trend of course. Everybody over 50 goes there!"

“The history of ever war ever” !!!! Do this.

Good coverage on an aircraft that is so well documented over the years. Look back at those years working on it as highlight of my USAF career.

This has always been one of my favorite aircraft in the US Military Arsenal... I was actually lucky to have seen one when I was younger... It was still so classified that it only did a fly-by for an Airshow here in Jacksonville FL... I think it literally made one pass back and forth across the airstrip and was gone just as quickly as it had appeared... I don't even think that it's appearance was listed on the event schedule...

I love anything I can hear about this plane. I always heard about it growing up because my grandfather was one of the early pioneers in stealth/RCS research at Wright-Patterson and he loved taking me to the local air museum there.

Could you please do some of these: The American Navy's mass expansion during WW2- essentially turned war ship building into an assembly line process The creation of the Polio vaccine The building of the trenches in WW2 (probably a side project video, but since it's so vast, I figured it could fit)

My favorite aircraft of all time!" Man I miss my Air Force days! They honestly thought during the Gulf War that a percentage of our Jets weren't gonna make it back.... They forgot we trained for damn near 6 months before they released the hounds! We were so ready for action it wasn't funny!

Thanks for this detailed look. This is a great story!

I was an airforce kid and had the fortune of seeing two of these in person. They are my favorite cool looking planes even though I knew their limitations. Something always felt very futuristic about them. It is nice to know they have a ghost squadron of dark knights out there, doing their best thing. Hiding.

My uncle built these! I was absolutely fascinated with it as a child!

Damn, this plane was iconic during my childhood of the 90's. The nickname Stealth Fighter indeed.

You forgot to mention that Serbs said: sorry we did not know that f-117 is invisible!

There was footage shot earlier this year at Death Valley of 2 F-117s doing low level passes through the valley, the pictures and video are insane

I've been requesting this one relentlessly, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one. Thank you, Simon!

I’m disappointed that you didn’t mention that in order to test the radar cross-section, the military ordered Skunkworks to remake the mounting pole used for testing aircraft models because the cross-section of the pole was larger than that of the model. A much better description of the project can be found in the book “Skunkworks” by Ben Rich and Leo Janos. Ben Rich was the director of Skunkworks during the development of the F-117.

The History of every war ever? Now that's a channel I'd watch.

I used to see and hear these birds all the time growing up. My childhood home was about 10 miles from Holloman Air Force Base. They were replaced by the F22 there. We even had a classic rock station named after them; 103DOT7, the stealth. It became 103.7, the raptor in 2008 and became an oldies station.

My Dad was a F-117 test pilot. I grew up around this, but it's still cool hearing about it. Great show!

the 250th air defense missile brigade of the army of Yugoslavia approves this video...

''sorry we didn't know he was invisible'',popular graffiti in Belgrade I don't know why

I’ve been suggesting this as a vid for Simon. So glad he finally did it

A few decades ago my mom had some b2 bombers on her base and I was allowed to see them up close and personal. Pretty awesome stuff.

I saw one of these at an Airshow in 1993, they're insane. They had one do a flyby and even though it was flying sub-sonic, you did not hear it until it passed over you.

I Remember the Testor’s F-19 plastic model kit when it came out and being so disappointed at how the real Stealth Fighter looked nothing like it 😁😁

Love this channel and your research abilities, Simon!!!!

Of course this video comes out right when I buy a model! You're great Simon

You didn't mention that it once carried the best paint scheme ever, "Toxic Death". Hands down the best.

There are still 6 of these planes flying from two different bases. Four are used for testing and improving radars onboard the f15/f22 to detect stealth aircraft. The remaining two were used to test fully automated flight computers.

My first base was with these. Was lucky to work with support systems on the runways and was able to see them close up many times.

A GAP ad immediately after Simon's quip about Senior Trend...priceless

Some respect (read: megaproject video) on the B-2 would be nice

By 1985 "stealth aircraft" was such an open secret that it was mentioned in the movie "Spies Like Us"

The nighthawk was always a design I've fascinated over since I was a kid. Awesome video! The Nighthawk is certainly a cool looking aircraft.

Simon, here in Kalamazoo, MI our Air Zoo just received one of these, to go along with their SR-71.

I like that Simon kept calling them "ghosts." He didn't go into it, but during the gulf war in the early 90s, the Saudi military referred to the the F-117 as "Shaba" or "Ghost"

Love the Nighthawk! Yes the F-22 and other stealth planes that came after it are vastly superior to the F117, but none looks so SciFi and is inspiring imagination like the Nighthawk.

Simon has the best method for choosing videos!! "It looks cool, we're doing it" lol 👍

Thankyou for making videos like these; you do an amazing job with the video and the information. Very professional. Continue making more please

Hell yeah One of my favorite planes ever Just because of how unique it looks and the fact that I got a toy version when I was at the hospital

DO A MEGAPROJECTS ON THE ANTARCTIC SNOW CRUISER

Big fan of your channel Simon. Keep the good stuff coming!

I used to have a model of this airplane. I just loved the way it looked.

John Cena in this ghost plane would be the ultimate stealth combo

American SR-71: uses soviet titanium Soviet luna-missions: use american video tape American F-117: based on soviet paper USA & USSR: best friends till nuclear armageddon)

I knew youd have a video on these! So glad i checked!

When my family moved to Las Vegas in 2003, I remember the awe from seeing one of these in the air from Nellis AFB.

"The development of the Nighthawk fell into this category:" -Simon "Blacker than the blackest black, times infinity!" -Nathan Explosion

Could you do a video on the V Bombers built for the RAF in the 1950s.

I actually have one of those leaflets with the F-117 on it! Pretty cool.

It was 1995, South Bend, indiana. I was five years old. The South Bend airshow was happening, and my dad told me I NEEDED to go. This jet was why. It was the first time either of us had seen the jet in person, surrounded by m-16 armed guards standing at attention, protecting it's secrets. It flew that day, with a commercial no fly-zone, and empty control tower. Amazing looking jet, and I love every bit of it.

Megaproject Suggestion. Longest deep bore ice core in Antarctica. Took years, loads of drama with it and they found some cool stuff like a fresh water lake under the ice containing previously unknown lifeforms. Would go Well with the other hole projects that are popular Speaking of deep holes, how about the Kidd Mine as well?

Allo Allo Nighthawk calling!

what an absolute beauty of an aircraft keep it up, Simon, you legend!

Great video! Totally enjoyed this. Always loved this aircraft from the first time I saw it. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry, we didn’t know it was invisible. 🇷🇸

I heard, but do not know how true it is. That when they where testing it for the radar profile, a bird landed on the mockup and the engineers could not figure out why the radar return was larger than it should have been. But not sure how true this story is.

Excellent video. Stealth explained

I love you to cover the B2 stealth bomber, love how alien it looks compared to other planes.

Just remember, anything that’s no longer secret is so old it’s no longer your ace in the hole. F22 raptor? 30 years old. It was designed before cellphones were a thing. Think of how far our tech has come in 30 years.

"You might not have heard of it" - know your audience!

Yo man your content is flippn kewl concise and peaks my interest thanks 4 the great work and keep it up👍!

Great video. Of course, now you have to do the F-22 Raptor.

Nice! Another video subject i requested for a while, that's 2 in a row haha, i requested the Komet and Nighthawk together in 1 comment, so it feels like that's how they got made as well. Now i only need a video on the F-4 Phantom II and then i can die happy, or, well, also a video about the SuperCobra and Hind heli's, THEN i'm totally happy ;P EDIT: another great video, thanks!

1:25 - Chapter 1 - Early days 2:40 - Chapter 2 - A black project 3:55 - Chapter 3 - Have blue 4:55 - Chapter 4 - Senior Trend 6:45 - Chapter 5 - The aircraft 9:35 - Chapter 6 - Combat operations 12:55 - Chapter 7 - Mothballs 13:55 - Chapter 8 - The ghost remains

Too nice video with clear explaining of progressive steps of stealth characters of aircrafts thanks for sending 👏👏👏👍👍

Yours is one of the very few videos that credits Russia with the planned form alignment theory. Excellent work Simon & team. 👍👍