The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force. Almost invisible to radar, the F-117 has revolutionized air warfare.
The unique design of the single-seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. The twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls.
The first flight over the Nevada test ranges was on June 18, 1981, only 31 months after the full-scale development decision.
In 1989 the F-117A was awarded the Collier Trophy, one of the most prized aeronautical awards in the world.
The F-117 incorporates a technique called faceting. The idea is that if the radar wave hits the aircraft, it will be reflected away, and in effect scattered, from the radar station
To further reduce the chance of radar picking it up, the plane is covered in radar absorbent material (RAM). The air intakes for the engines are covered in a fine grating, where the gaps are smaller than most radar waves. The grates are also covered in RAM material. In addition , the canopy, weapon bay doors, and landing gear doors, have serrated edges to conceal the joints when they are folded shut.
The stealth technology of the F-117A is so good, that it is undetectable by conventional radar system until 16 miles, and even then it looks like a small bird.
All weapons must be concealed internally for stealthness. Inside the bay, it can carry 5,000lbs of ordinance.
The GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb consists of a special nose and tail section attached to a standard 2000-pound Mk 84 high-explosive bomb. The tail section of the bomb consists of a set of folding aerodynamic surfaces which permit the bomb to glide, whereas the nose section includes a laser light seeker, guidance electronics, and control fins.
-Done in Blender 2.58. This model is compose mainly of quads.
-Materials, textures, UVs, lamps and objects are properly named.
-Real-World Scale.
