Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk and other Stealth Aircraft coloring pages

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Today's new drawing is of the Stealth aircraft called the F-117 Nighthawk.

F-117 Night Hawk

(new drawing)

This is a semi-retired aircraft.  It is probably the first stealth aircraft.  It had a very low radar signature and was used for ground attacks.  It actually has the liability of not being a high-speed maneuverable fighter like the F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning.  On the other hand, only one F-117 was ever shot down when it was on active combat duty.  It was used by the Air Force of the USA from 1983 to 2008, however, some are still in use as trainers or something because they HAVE been spotted.  123 of these were built.  The F-22 Raptor basically made the F-117 obsolete.  The F-22 was supersonic and the F-117 was not.  The F-22 could and can actively participate in a dogfight and the F-117 probably could not.  

The F-117 is 63 ft 9 inches long. That is 19.4 meters.  It stands at 12 ft 9 inches tall. That is 3.9 meters. The F-117 wingspan is 43 ft 4 inches wide or 13.2 meters.  It was technically a single-seat fighter bomber but it was only used as a bomber.  It did not carry its own radar so it could only fire heat-seeking air-to-air missiles.  It could carry 5000 lbs of bombs.  That is 2300 kg. 

The F-117's official name is Nighthawk, but it has also been called several other names by its pilots. .  It was given the name of "Wobblin Goblin" by test pilots in the testing phase.  It had a shimmer in low-speed flight.  However, that was corrected by the time the jet was put into production.  Some pilots called it the stinkbug.  Some called it Cockroach.  During Operation Desert Storm the F-117s flew many missions night after night and none were damaged by enemy fire.  So the Saudi Arabians called it Shaba which means Ghost in Arabic.  During its top-secret early years, the F-117 was referred to as the Black Jet or The Asset.  Many people referred to the F-117 as the Stealth Fighter until the F-22 went into production.  (Remember that the F-117 was and is actually more of a ground attack aircraft or light bomber.) To me, it looks like an alien aircraft or something from Science Fiction.  

It was initially kept primarily at an isolated airbase in Nevada and I think it was used in combat before the public knew anything about its existence.  It must have flown primarily at night back in the early year because the general public knew nothing about it.    It was used in combat at night, hence the black color.  

NOTE:  This new drawing, in printable form, can be found by clicking on the "Vehicles and Military Vehicles" button and scrolling down to the bottom of the drop-down menu. Below are older drawings of stealth aircraft.  

F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter

F-35 Lightning Fighter-Bomber Jet Aircraft