The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk has officially been retired from the US Air Force for nearly two decades. Yet at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada—unofficially designated “Area 52,” after the more famous “Area 51” at Groom Lake—the US Air Force is known to be secretly operating the F-117 for testing purposes.

The jet, best remembered as the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, was a watershed platform in terms of observability—but an absolute nightmare from the perspective of aerodynamics.

Unlike most aircraft, the F-117 wasn’t built for the primary purpose of flying. Instead, the F-117 was built for one purpose: invisibility to enemy radar. Accordingly, the design was shaped not........

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