The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is welcoming a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, the world’s first true operational stealth combat aircraft, into the national collection. This remarkable aircraft will be transferred to the museum by the U.S. Air Force. It was prepared for its public display by the team at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, and the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 512th Airlift Wing will transport the F-117 from the Skunk Works’ facility to Dulles International Airport in Virginia aboard a C-5 Galaxy cargo plane. The Nighthawk will be displayed at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, in late October. This donation was announced today at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
The F-117’s stealth gave it unique capabilities to penetrate undetected into enemy territory and launch attacks taking out key strategic targets or disabling anti-aircraft capabilities, clearing the way for other aircraft to more safely carry out their missions. Its pioneering design demonstrated the operational value of low-observable technology and helped shape generations of military aircraft that followed.
The F-117A joining the museum’s collection is nicknamed “The Overachiever,” and it was the only F-117 flown in all four major conflicts in which Nighthawks flew combat operations: Operation Just Cause (Panama, 1989), Operation Desert Storm (Iraq, 1991), Operation Allied Force (Yugoslavia, 1999) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Iraq, 2003).
“The revolutionary F-117 gave military commanders options they never had before,” said Chris Browne, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. “The Nighthawk could be the tip of the spear, taking out enemy defenses before they knew what hit them or it could destroy selective strategic targets, helping achieve objectives with unmatched precision. Adding this breakthrough aircraft to the national collection will ensure generations to come know its amazing story.”
The aircraft will be partially disassembled for the move and will be reassembled after arrival in the Udvar-Hazy Center’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, which can be viewed from a glass overlook. It is expected to go on public display on the center’s floor in late October.
The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, timed-entry passes are not required for regular indoor visitation, and parking is $15. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located on Jefferson Drive between Fourth and Seventh streets S.W. and is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but timed-entry passes are required to visit.
- The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is adding a Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk to the national collection.
- The aircraft, nicknamed “The Overachiever,” is the only F-117 known to have flown combat missions in all four major conflicts involving the Nighthawk.
- The F-117 was the world’s first operational true stealth combat aircraft and helped revolutionize modern aerospace and military technology.
- The aircraft will be displayed at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center following reassembly in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar.
