Retirement
The Nighthawk proved too costly for the US Air Force to
maintain and carry out sorties with rising fuel costs and budget cuts. In early
2007, the US Air Force decided to retire the aircraft. Don Logan of Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks: A Stealth Fighter Roll Call tells us that instead of
scrapping the airframes or donating the aircraft to aviation museums, the
entire Nighthawk fleet was returned to
the climate controlled hanger where they were developed at the Tonopah Test
Range. At Tonopah, the F-117's wings were removed for ease of storage. The first four prototype
YF-117A aircraft were sent to museums to be on display.
The Nighthawk proved too costly for the US Air Force to
maintain and carry out sorties with rising fuel costs and budget cuts. In early
2007, the US Air Force decided to retire the aircraft. Don Logan of Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks: A Stealth Fighter Roll Call tells us that instead of
scrapping the airframes or donating the aircraft to aviation museums, the
entire Nighthawk fleet was returned to
the climate controlled hanger where they were developed at the Tonopah Test
Range. At Tonopah, the F-117's wings were removed for ease of storage. The first four prototype
YF-117A aircraft were sent to museums to be on display.
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