Stealth aircraft have been around a surprisingly long time-35 years. The F-117 had its beginning in a 1974 design contest. By the time the last one retired last year, three more stealth aircraft types-the B-2, F-22, and F-35-had been built or were in the works. Stealth had moved from the pages of obscure physics journals to preeminence in USAF's arsenal. Proof of the high value of "low observable" airplanes also has been around a long time now. It emerged in the 1991 Gulf War, when a handful of F-117s accounted for 40 percent of all attacks on strategic targets. The Air Force ever since has believed stealth should define its combat air forces.
展开▼
