And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If they're fighters, why do they only have bombs painted below the canopy? Could it be that they aren't fighters at all, having no forward firing weapons?
To be most accurate it should probably be called an Attack aircraft. But the “F” designation is less about “fighters” and more about relatively small fast combat jets with crews of one or two.
There was some design work to equip it with air-to-air missiles, but that was not followed up.
Even among black programs its development and existence was a close-kept secret. However, an unclassified designation was needed to refer to it for administrative reasons, for pilots to log flight hours in the unclassified USAF system, etc.
So its designation was hidden among the designations for another classified set of programs that were a little more widely known, and came to be called Constant Peg, which was also operated from Nevada.
Constant Peg flew actual ComBloc fighters and interceptors in an adversary role against US pilots. The aircraft were covertly obtained and sent to the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron at a new secret base: Tonapah Range in Nevada, that also became the home of the F-117.
The ComBloc fighters had their true identities obscured by using USAF designations in the Century series: YF-110 for Mig-21, YF-113 for MIG-23, and YF-114 for MiG-17. YF-115 and YF-116 are unknown, but there were other types of Soviet designed aircraft obtained. And possibly other US prototypes, not necessarily fighters, that are still classified.
Anyway, designating the Nighthawk F-117 at the same base within the same Century series helped hide its existence and true nature. Constant Peg flew missions during the daytime, Nighthawk flew only at night.
I understand they called it the Wobblin’ Goblin because it didn’t have much natural aerodynamic stability. On-board computers integrated into the flight-control system made flying it practical. F-117 has that multi-faceted shape - unlike the smoothly-rounded shape of the B-2 (and later planes with stealthy shapes) because the state of computer software at the time was inadequate for designing rounded surfaces that would reflect enemy radar appropriately. They COULD design planar surfaces that were adequate for the times.
Lockheed had a test facility north of Los Angeles, not far from the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. At that time there was a golden globe restaurant on a very high pillar. The surface was faceted glass plates with gold plating. The engineers were calibrating radars and aimed at this handy structure. The radar returns were far smaller than the actual size of the globe. Word got back to the Skunk Works that was working on Stealth Technology. The result was the F-117, with its faceted surface.
Funny story, but don’t think that’s how Low Observable technology was created. Faceting was a function of limited computing power to support the calculations of the smooth curved surfaces based on the Physical Theory of Diffraction (of electromagnetic waves) by Pyotr Ufimtsev. Using a series of smaller straight lines (flat surfaces) to approximate a larger curved line (surface) is a longstanding technique in mathematics. For the F-117 the angled plates approximated the curves desired. Subsequent stealthy aircraft all use smooth surfaces because of advances in computing power.
Button Up Ladies!
ReplyDeleteIts curious they are still flying the F117. Pretty cool looking, because somehow it does not look outdated as some aircraft will.
ReplyDeleteRead somewhere they still fly in stealth training as opposition force.
ReplyDeleteOne of the coolest looking flying machines ever. Looking at it, you think that thing will never fly, yet it does and well.
ReplyDeleteNemo
If they're fighters, why do they only have bombs painted below the canopy? Could it be that they aren't fighters at all, having no forward firing weapons?
DeleteTo be most accurate it should probably be called an Attack aircraft. But the “F” designation is less about “fighters” and more about relatively small fast combat jets with crews of one or two.
DeleteThere was some design work to equip it with air-to-air missiles, but that was not followed up.
Even among black programs its development and existence was a close-kept secret. However, an unclassified designation was needed to refer to it for administrative reasons, for pilots to log flight hours in the unclassified USAF system, etc.
So its designation was hidden among the designations for another classified set of programs that were a little more widely known, and came to be called Constant Peg, which was also operated from Nevada.
Constant Peg flew actual ComBloc fighters and interceptors in an adversary role against US pilots. The aircraft were covertly obtained and sent to the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron at a new secret base: Tonapah Range in Nevada, that also became the home of the F-117.
The ComBloc fighters had their true identities obscured by using USAF designations in the Century series: YF-110 for Mig-21, YF-113 for MIG-23, and YF-114 for MiG-17. YF-115 and YF-116 are unknown, but there were other types of Soviet designed aircraft obtained. And possibly other US prototypes, not necessarily fighters, that are still classified.
Anyway, designating the Nighthawk F-117 at the same base within the same Century series helped hide its existence and true nature. Constant Peg flew missions during the daytime, Nighthawk flew only at night.
I understand they called it the Wobblin’ Goblin because it didn’t have much natural aerodynamic stability. On-board computers integrated into the flight-control system made flying it practical. F-117 has that multi-faceted shape - unlike the smoothly-rounded shape of the B-2 (and later planes with stealthy shapes) because the state of computer software at the time was inadequate for designing rounded surfaces that would reflect enemy radar appropriately. They COULD design planar surfaces that were adequate for the times.
ReplyDeleteLockheed had a test facility north of Los Angeles, not far from the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. At that time there was a golden globe restaurant on a very high pillar. The surface was faceted glass plates with gold plating.
ReplyDeleteThe engineers were calibrating radars and aimed at this handy structure.
The radar returns were far smaller than the actual size of the globe.
Word got back to the Skunk Works that was working on Stealth Technology.
The result was the F-117, with its faceted surface.
Real story from an engineer that was there.
Funny story, but don’t think that’s how Low Observable technology was created. Faceting was a function of limited computing power to support the calculations of the smooth curved surfaces based on the Physical Theory of Diffraction (of electromagnetic waves) by Pyotr Ufimtsev. Using a series of smaller straight lines (flat surfaces) to approximate a larger curved line (surface) is a longstanding technique in mathematics. For the F-117 the angled plates approximated the curves desired. Subsequent stealthy aircraft all use smooth surfaces because of advances in computing power.
DeleteActually flew a different platform with the guys whose names are on the first two canopy rails.
ReplyDelete