The F-117 Nighthawk was the world’s first operational stealth aircraft—marking a radical watershed in aviation whereby an aircraft could achieve survivability through invisibility, rather than speed or maneuverability. Born from defense giant Lockheed’s ultra-secret Have Blue program, the F-117 remained classified until 1988—five years after becoming operational in 1983.

In the 1970s, Soviet radar and missile technology was becoming increasingly sophisticated and increasingly lethal. The US Air Force, seeking a way to destroy high-value targets deep within Soviet territory, began investing in stealth technology. DARPA initiated a program to explore extreme radar-evading shapes and eventually Lockheed’s Skunk Works won a contract to craft what would become the

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