The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is one of the most innovative designs in the history of aviation and the first mass-produced aircraft with Stealth properties. The concept of an aircraft invisible to radars appeared already during World War II, but it was not until the 1970s that the development of technology made it possible to implement it. In the F-117 it was achieved thanks to the use of many parallel actions. First of all, an unprecedented aerodynamically shape of the plane with a slender pentagonal profile with many flat surfaces with Rudlicki's tail was used. The plane is covered with special RAM (Radar Absorbent Material) materials that "absorb" radar waves. All external elements and the shape of the cabins have been carefully refined, and the active means of detection have also been abandoned. The engines (two General Electric F404-GE-F1D2 turbofans) were also completely muted and isolated from each other. The result was a Stealth bomber that was ideal for destroying enemy radar stations. The history of the F-117 dates back to 1977, when the first pre-prototype was demonstrated, and mass production started in 1981. The planes achieved combat readiness two years later. By 1991, 59 F-117As had been produced. All weapons are carried in the bomb bay, most often these are laser guided GBU-27A Paveway III bombs, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles or AGM-130 missiles. The F-117A was used in combat in Panama in 1989 and, above all, during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, in which it demonstrated astonishing effectiveness, during Operation Allied Force in 1999 and in the war in Afghanistan (2001-2002) and Iraq (2003). In 2008, the F-117 was officially withdrawn from the line. Technical data: Maximum speed: 1040 km / h, operating ceiling 13 700 m, maximum range: 1850 km, armament: fixed - the aircraft has no fixed armament.The General-Dynamics F16 Falcon is an American single-engine, multi-role light fighter and stormtrooper. Work on the F-16 project began in 1971 at the General Dynamics concern (which in 1993 was part of the Lockheed Martin giant), entering the competition for a light multi-purpose fighter (LWF) for the US Air Force. The YF-16 prototype first flew on February 2, 1974. A breakthrough in technical terms was the use of a computerized electric fly-by-wire control system, which made it possible to reduce the area of the wings and tail, and thus reduce the weight of the entire aircraft. The F-16 was the first fighter in the world to use such a system. The first versions were to a large extent made of aluminum alloys (about 83% of the total structure), but with time they gave way to composites. The different versions of the F-16 are powered by three versions of the engines: Pratt-Whitney F-100-PW-200, General Electric F110-GE100 and Pratt-Whitney F-100-PW-2020. The "brain" of the guidance system was the APG-66 radar, later replaced by the APG-68 (V) radar. It is worth noting that the YF-16 design turned out to be so successful that it won not only the LWF competition in the USA (in competition with the Northrop YF-17 aircraft), but also won the centenary contract for a multi-role fighter for European NATO countries. His rivals were the Dassault Mirage F.1 and SAAB J-37 Viggen machines. Serial production of the F-16 began in 1975. It was also attended by European NATO countries for which it was an injection of new aviation technologies. Final assembly was performed in the USA, Belgium and the Netherlands. The first serial F-16A Fighting Falcon was flown on August 7, 1978. It is an assault version of the F-16, intended primarily to counter ground targets. The F-16 also proved itself in combat, with a series of air victories in the war in Lebanon (1982) and during the Operation Desert Storm (1991). By the end of the 20th century, more than 4,000 of this successful aircraft had been produced. There were six basic versions of the F-16, marked as A, C, E (single-seater) and B, D, F (two-seater). On the basis of these six models, numerous upgrades are created, most often associated with the replacement of avionics, marked as "Block". Since 2006, the F-16 also serves in the Polish aviation. The Polish Ministry of Defense decided that the F-16 would be the backbone of the modernized air force, rejecting offers from Dessault and SAAB, although in this case they were Mirrage F2000 and JAS-39 Grippen fighters. Undoubtedly, the highest sum proposed by the American company as part of the so-called offset transaction. Technical data: Maximum speed: 2,170 km / h, rate of climb: 254 m / s, maximum ceiling 15240m, maximum range: 3890km, armament: fixed - one 20mm six-barrel M61A-1 cannon, suspended - up to 9275 kg of cargo.The Northrop F-89 Scorpion is an American heavy jet fighter, designed to operate in all weather conditions. The first flight of the prototype took place in August 1948, and the machine appeared in line units in 1950. The F-89 was a two-seater, with a cantilever mid-wing, all-metal structure with a pressurized crew cabin. The crew consisted of a pilot and a radar operator. The plane had a simple trapezoidal airfoil. Classic horizontal tail. It served in the USAAF from 1950 to 1957, later the F-89 aircraft were transferred to the National Guard units and replaced by the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. The plane served in the National Air Guard until 1968. Several versions of the F-89 were created, the most widely produced of which are the F-89C with the new Allison J-35-A-21 engines and the main production version of the F-89D with the new Hughes E-6 firing control system, AN / APG-40 radar and AN / APA-84 computer. It is worth noting that the F-89 was the first USAAF aircraft adapted to use the AIR-2 Genie air-to-air missile with a 1.5Kt nuclear warhead. A total of 1,050 aircraft of this type were built. Technical data (version F-89D): Maximum speed: 1022 km / h, rate of climb: 37.8 m / s, maximum ceiling 15000 m, maximum range: 2200 km, armament: fixed - no fixed armament, suspended-104 70mm FFAR rockets, "Mighty Mouse" in two wing gondolas and up to 1500 kg of cargo.
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