Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was the world's first operational aircraft designed around low-observable stealth technology. Developed in secrecy by Lockheed's "Skunk Works," it grew out of the Have Blue demonstrator and first flew in June 1981, with the program remaining classified until 1988. Its faceted, angular shape, made up of flat panels that scatter radar energy, combined with radar-absorbent coatings to make it nearly invisible to enemy air defenses.

The single-seat F-117 was a subsonic precision-strike aircraft, not a fighter despite its "F" designation; powered by two non-afterburning General Electric F404 turbofans and using fly-by-wire controls to remain stable, it carried laser-guided bombs internally to preserve its stealth shape. It achieved fame in the 1991 Gulf War, attacking heavily defended targets in Baghdad, and later flew in the Balkans. Fifty-nine production aircraft were built before the type was officially retired in 2008, ushering in the modern stealth era.