TITLE:
LOCKHEED
F-117A 'Nighthawk'
TYPE:
Precision
attack aircraft with stealth elements, optimised for radar energy dispersion
and low IR emission.
PROGRAMME:
Production
complete; details of development and early service appeared in the 1993-94 and
earlier Jane's. Navalised F-117N proposal described separately.
DESIGN
FEATURES:
Multi-faceted
airframe designed to reflect radar energy away from originating transmitter,
particularly downward-looking AEW aircraft; vortexes from many sharp edges,
including leading-edge of wing, designed to form co-ordinated lifting airflow
pattern; wings have 67 degrees 30' sweepback, much greater than needed for
subsonic performance, with aerofoil formed by two flat planes underneath and
three on upper surface; forward underwing surface blends with forward fuselage;
all doors and access panels have serrated edges to suppress radar reflection;
internal weapons bay 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) long and 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) wide
divided longitudinally by two lengthwise doors hinged on centreline; boom
refuelling receptacle on port side of top plate, aft of cockpit. Frontal radar
cross-section estimated as 0.01 m{2} (0.1 sq ft).
LANDING
GEAR:
Tricycle
type by Menasco, with single wheels all retracting forward. Loral brakes (steel
originally, being replaced by carbon/carbon), wheels (F-15E size) and anti-skid
system. Goodyear tyres. All doors have serrated edges to suppress radar
reflections. Emergency arrester hook with explosively jettisoned cover; Pioneer
Aerospace braking parachute (black).
POWER
PLANT:
Two 48.0
kN (10,800 lb st) class General Electric F404-GE-F1D2 non-augmented turbofans.
Rectangular overwing air intakes with 2.5 x 1.5 cm (1 x {5/8} in) heated grid
for anti-icing and low observability. Auxiliary air intake doors in horizontal
surface immediately to the rear. Part of cold air ingested bypasses engine and
is mixed with exhaust gases for cooling. Narrow-slot 'platypus' exhausts, designed
by Astech/MCI, in rear fuselage, 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) long and 0.10 m (4 in)
high, with extended lower lip, surrounded by heat tiles of type used on Space
Shuttle and with 11 vertical, internal guide vanes. Sundstrand air turbine
starter. In-flight refuelling receptacle in decking aft of cockpit, illuminated
for night refuelling by lamp at apex of cockpit. Optional drop tank on internal
weapons pylon.
ACCOMMODATION:
Pilot
only; McDonnell Douglas ACES II zero/zero ejection seat. Five Sierracin/Sylmar
Corporation individually framed flat-plate windows, including single-piece
windscreen. Transparencies gold-coated for radar dissipation. Canopy hinged to
open upward and backward.
SYSTEMS:
AiResearch
environmental control, auxiliary power and emergency power systems.
AVIONICS:
Forward-looking
infrared (FLIR) sensor, with dual fields of view, in recessed emplacement,
covered by fine mesh screen, below windscreen. Retractable downward-looking
DLIR and laser designator beneath forward fuselage to starboard of nosewheel
bay; FLIR and DLIR by Texas Instruments (to be replaced by improved equipment
during third-phase retrofit in 1994). HUD based on Kaiser AN/AVQ-28; large
head-down display for FLIR imagery flanked by two multi-function CRTs.
Retractable radio antennae beneath fuselage, ahead of port main landing gear,
and on spine. Honeywell radar altimeter, Honeywell SPN-GEANS INS (replaced by
Honeywell H-423/E ring laser gyro from August 1991; Rockwell Collins GPS to be
added); IBM AP-102 mission computer (replacing original three Delco M362F
computers); GEC-Marconi flight control computer/navigation interface and
autopilot computer (NIAC) system; SLI Avionic Systems Corporation expanded data
transfer system and AHRS. Harris Corporation digital moving map added as retrofit
with full-colour MFDs.
ARMAMENT:
Full
range of USAF tactical fighter ordnance', principally two 2000 lb bombs:
BLU-109B low-level laser-guided or GBU-10/GBU-27 laser-guided glide weapons;
alternatively, AGM-65 Maverick or AGM-88 HARM ASMs. Provision for AIM-9
Sidewinder (against AWACS aircraft). Internal carriage on two extendible beams
in weapon bay. (Only missiles with seeker heads extended below aircraft prior
to launch; bombs released from within weapons bay.)
DIMENSIONS:
EXTERNAL:
Wingspan:
13.20 m (43 ft 4 in)
Length
overall: 20.08 m (65 ft 11 in)
Height
overall: 3.78 m (12 ft 5 in)
WEIGHTS
AND LOADINGS:
Weight
empty (estimated): 13,381 kg (29,500 lb)
Internal
weapons load: 2268 kg (5000 lb)
Max T-O
weight: 23,814 kg (52,500 lb)
PERFORMANCE:
(* = not confirmed by USAF):
Max
level speed: 561 knots (1040 km/h; 646 mph)
Normal
max operating speed: Mach 0.9
* T-O
speed at normal combat weight: 165 knots (306 km/h; 190 mph)
*
Landing speed: 150 knots (227 km/h; 172 mph)
Mission
radius, unrefuelled, 2268 kg (5000 lb) weapon load:
570 nm
(1056 km; 656 miles)
g limit:
+6
LENGTH
(m): 20.08
HEIGHT
(m): 3.78
WINGSPAN
(m): 13.20
MAX T-O
WEIGHT (kg): 23,814
MAX
LEVEL SPEED (knots): 561