A documentary about the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. This is one of the most iconic planes of all time because of its sleek design, cutting edge technology and because it was used in many important missions. The Nighthawk is a twin engine, single seater fighter plane developed in secrecy during the early 1980’s by the special division of lockheed Martin called Skunk works. One of the main goals for the aircraft designers was to make it almost invisible to radar while maintaining extreme performance capabilities. To achieve this the plane had to have no flat surfaces which would bounce back radar signals resulting in its unique, futuristic looking design.
The massive secrecy during its design and build phases was most likely because of the nature of the missions it was intended to be used for. A Stealth plane in the early eighties was essentially like alien technology and an incredibly powerful weapon to posses so it was nearly 10 years after its first flight in 1981 when the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was unveiled to the public.
