F-117's being phased out starting as of now.

[Aeroscout]

Thats interesting, but that makes sense.

 

You also have to consiter how old the F-117 is.

[Pilotasso]

Actualy the F-117 was relatively new. Its the plane that has got the shortest carrer in the modern history of aviation.

[Aeroscout]

When was it first deployed?

 

Hey pilotasso, one more post and you have 4,000! (just a random thing I noticed)

[Pilotasso]

service entry, 1982 me thinks, first blood in 1989 over Panama, though I think it was involved in latin america some years before but didnt get a chance to drop anything then.

[nscode]

Space shutle computers still hold as much memory as 486's to this day.

 

Much less actually :)

[Starlight]

Much less actually :)

 

yeah, military a/c have little memory and computing power compared to our PCs. But, as Tom Clancy explains very well in his Fighter Wing book... The B-1 has a 512K memory for its computer but it can withstand the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear explosion nearby. Try to do the same trick to your PC or Mac...

[Starlight]

Thats interesting, but that makes sense.

 

You also have to consiter how old the F-117 is.

 

The design was planned in the mid-70s... Test flights were conducted in late 70's and early 80's, they were mission-ready in 1983.

That's later than any other fighter aircraft in the USAF inventory, except for the F-22. And about the same timeframe of the B-1 which is considered a modern aircraft. The B-2 itself, which is considered one of the ultimate weapons, made its maiden flight a few years after the nighthawk....

 

Given that they also received an improvement program in the mid 90s, they're quite modern aircraft...

 

 

IOC for 'Senior Trend' was reached 28 October 1983. There weren't even enough aircraft to be considered squadron size at that time though, so IOC was defined a little loosely. :)

 

Well you're right, but the early employment tactics for the nighthawks called for very small detachments for covert ops. Very small, stealth, limited actions.

 

In the interview published in "F-117 in action" pilot Steve Paulson says:

"USAF originally wanted 18 for a special squadron to do Delta Force type special projects where one or two aircraft would take out high valued target without anybody knowing it. Congress decided they wanted a wing. They were the ones who made the AF buy 59 aircraft. The AF never wanted that many. None of us even thought there was a use for two squadrons. It is really no good in a general war scenarios, and that was too many aircraft to use in a limited clandestine operation. They probably bought more than they needed"

 

 

that interview was before Operation Desert Storm, which proved that theory wrong.

Anyway, AFAIK, the Nighthawks were first employed in operation Just Cause in Panama, 1989, but they were within minutes for employment in some more circumstances... in 1983 during the invasion of Grenada, in 1986 to strike Lybian targets and maybe also in Lebanon, 1983...

[Prophet]

yeah, military a/c have little memory and computing power compared to our PCs. But, as Tom Clancy explains very well in his Fighter Wing book... The B-1 has a 512K memory for its computer but it can withstand the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear explosion nearby. Try to do the same trick to your PC or Mac...

 

Yes good point, our 65nm technology wouldnt withstand EM shock very well, you would have to put a lot of engineering into shielding it, much more than what the Mil does now.

[MGonzales]

Are you sure you "heard" it? Are you sure it wasn't *nothing*?

 

(Don't flip out, it's a Family Guy quote, but it expresses my opinion well)

 

Episode "IF I'M DYIN', I'M LYIN'"

 

I've been watching a Family Guy DVD marathon while doing some big scanning jobs, I heard the quote and couldn't help but go back to this thread.

 

Other funny stuff from that episode...

 

"Black to the Future" with Marty McSuperFly

"Marty, I want to be your fine sweet-a** b****."

"Damn, brother done kissed his mamma!"

"Get me Isaac Hayes. Isaac, you know that new sound you been looking for? Well, listen to this!"

 

LOL! :)

--

 

 

Mark

[355th_Paulie]

Pitty to see then go, I'm glad I had the opportunity to see them deployed at Gilze-Rijen, The Netherlands, years ago.

[hitman]

Episode "IF I'M DYIN', I'M LYIN'"

 

I've been watching a Family Guy DVD marathon while doing some big scanning jobs, I heard the quote and couldn't help but go back to this thread.

 

Other funny stuff from that episode...

 

"Black to the Future" with Marty McSuperFly

 

--

 

 

Mark

 

Thats my yahoo id lol...Mary McSupahfly.

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

It is obvious that the stealth capability of the f-117 is already outstripped and the plane is becoming useless.

That might be the reason why NATO did not bomb the wreckage of the F-117 over Yugoslavia.

[NY3D]

Im shocked....

 

Why would they wanna do that??? Pilotasso....thanx for sharing,very interesting indeed.:book:

[Crusty]

:lol::lol:

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

Or maybe because the covering on the F-117 should not be touched with bare hands they figured those that were "fingering" it deserved anything that befell them. You know, kinda like asbestos poisoning but worse. ;)

Are you saying the F-117 skin is toxic and our government did not tell that to the people of Yugoslavia? Do you have information about toxicity of the F-117 skin?

 

And what is that smiley face about? Kind a happy some people potentially got poisoned or something? Can you explain please.

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

Why would they wanna do that???

To destroy the secrets/evidence if there is any.

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

Or...it could be that they couldn't have been sure of the total destruction of the aircraft to make it completely safe from anyone learning its secrets.

The fact is NATO did not bomb the wreckage. It could be for several reasons. But the idea of the stealth technology F-117 style came from Soviet Union and was known for decades.

You send spec ops personnel in to do that job, and none of us, including you, knows if that was attempted.

If it was attempted, then they were not able to accomplish the mission.

[pschelchshorn]

OMG!!! Here it is! I just knew this guy was going to start whining about poison planes. :doh: The smiley face might have been because it was intended as a joke, maybe? So, how many diamonds do you produce every year, Hajduk? (Heh...I'm sure somebody will get that reference.) :D

 

:beer:

 

Flip

[pschelchshorn]

Yes it came from the Soviet Union, and they took it so seriously that they never classified the work of Ufemtsev. Their loss. RAM, on the other hand, was developed right here in the US by Kelly Johnson and his crew. Oh, the Soviets had a hand in that too, in the early stages of experimentation. They were good enough to provide us with much of the Titanium that was used to build the first SR-71s. They had no idea they were doing it...but we thank them all the same. :thumbup:

 

 

 

Do you even read what YOU post? Let alone read what anyone else does? You agreed with someone who thought it was because it was obsolete, and not important enough to destroy. I was simply offering an alternative viewpoint. But...there I go...throwing a logical thought or two into the mix. I'm sorry, I REALLY need to stop doing that. :smartass:

 

here, another beer :D :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

 

:D

 

Flip

[pschelchshorn]

:drink:

Right back at ya, buddy! :beer:

 

We had a "wetting down" for a now former employee of mine last night. It friggin' RAWKED. Had to call my Chief's wife to come pick him up, because he was WAY hammered. While we were all waiting with him outside the bar, I made a sweet little blonde angel very happy with my running commentary of her boyfriend's predicament. The police were giving him a sobriety test, so I was telling our guest of honor about what was going on. This blonde hottie hears me and turns around to say "What was that?" . I said, "Oh, that dude in the black? He just passed, he's good to go." As we were walking by their reunion, she said "I WAS worried, but it was all good after I talked to THAT guy." and she pointed at me. Weird night, but it was fun. How goes it with you, Flip?

 

Sounds like a fun night ;)

 

Ah..Im umm..well im hangin' out with my good friend Influenza...Had 39,7 Deg Celsius last night but right now im back at 37,4. Im getting back to life hehe! No beer for me for a while. This coming week i will have my final exams, my school "career" is sooo over! What a feeling. :beer:

 

Flip

[pschelchshorn]

Influenza? That sucks, dude. Glad to see that your temp is coming down to a normal level. I don't know what its like in Germany, but I hope you didn't go out and get a flu shot. Those things CAUSE more problems than they prevent. I haven't been sick in 10 years, and I guess I can say at this point that I owe it all to either beer or my reptiles. :D

 

:D heheheh! No i didnt get a shot against the flu or anything, but i know my ass is gonna be burning once Im in the military. Vaccine Shots here i come :beer:

 

Flip

[pschelchshorn]

Well...hopefully you guys are advanced enough to give vaccinations like the USAF does. They all come from high-pressure guns, and they give something like three shots all at once. Its kinda like somebody punching you in the arm as you go down the line, but its actually not all that painful. You'll all get sick from the vaccinations, and you'll pass it back and forth to each other...its what we liked to call "the recruit crud". If you'll be going outside Germany though, Gamaglobulin shots hurt like a mofo!!! Fair warning. :(

 

Congrats on deciding to serve your country for a few years. :thumbup:

 

Thanks! Well, its not decided yet. Ive passed all the tests (officers qual., pilot test phases) but i wont know till june this year if i get accepted. Right now i got a recommendation for Fighters, as im one of the few (as ive been told) that have the physical conditions to be a fighterpilot. If i get accepted ill be in the military for 15 years! I cant wait! By the way, IFT (initial flight training) is done in Goodyear AZ and UPT at Sheppard AFB!

 

Flip

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

The smiley face might have been because it was intended as a joke, maybe?

It “MIGHT” (is) not be a good idea to make jokes about people exposed to toxic material.

[4c Hajduk Veljko]

But...there I go...throwing a logical thought or two into the mix. I'm sorry, I REALLY need to stop doing that. :smartass:

Thanks for “logical thoughts”, however, special ops personnel was your idea, not mine.

[Allochtoon]

Big deal on the laser guided bomb capability. How are the US going to insert special forces onto 747's in mid flight anymore?

 

whahahaha