F-117A Nighthawk

Hey Daff, isn't that tail part wooden or something or is that classified?

That's where they put the paint locker. Hurr!
sea-shadow-stealth.jpg
 
We did have AIM-9 capability, so somewhat. :)

I figured you as an "ATTACK!" guy, Daff!

I think it's cool that the A-10 community really embraces that. There's an amazing heritage there that a lot of the 'pointy-nosed' community totally ignores.
 
I figured you as an "ATTACK!" guy, Daff!

I think it's cool that the A-10 community really embraces that. There's an amazing heritage there that a lot of the 'pointy-nosed' community totally ignores.

Oh I am, you know me! IT really should be the A-117.
 
A friend of mine was a design engineer at Lockheed back in the 70's when they were designing the F117. The original clean sheet design actually was a bomber but in typical AF fashion they wanted it to become a "multi roll" aircraft and hence the design specs changed and it became and F instead of a B.
 
Regarding the "F" vs "B" designation; remember that there are international treaties that regulate aircraft with a "B" prefix that can carry nuclear weapons...not so the case with "F" designated aircraft.
 
Regarding the "F" vs "B" designation; remember that there are international treaties that regulate aircraft with a "B" prefix that can carry nuclear weapons...not so the case with "F" designated aircraft.

Heh ... can you believe that lawyers get paid good money!?
 
Regarding the "F" vs "B" designation; remember that there are international treaties that regulate aircraft with a "B" prefix that can carry nuclear weapons...not so the case with "F" designated aircraft.

So did the FB-111 only count as 1/2 towards 1 on the SALT/START totals?
 
Regarding the "F" vs "B" designation; remember that there are international treaties that regulate aircraft with a "B" prefix that can carry nuclear weapons...not so the case with "F" designated aircraft.

I've never heard of this interesting.
 
I've never heard of this interesting.

Yup. For example under START, the B-1B is no longer authorized to carry nukes or have the capability to. It's external stores weapons racks were decommissioned.

Our only nuke bombers are the B-52 and the B-2.
 
That was part of why the Russians removed the refueling probes from some of their bombers, right?
 
Not completely sure if that was related. Just as I'm curious on the FB-111 question also.

To the best of my knowledge, the SAC FB-111s were considered full-up nuclear bombers under SALT. There's something with that regarding the FBs being armed with the AGM-69 SRAM, too, but I don't recall the details.
 
I'll have to ask my dad for more details, as he was an FB-111 navigator, but as far as I know, the FB-111 wasn't covered in the SALT or START treaties.

However, the Australians are destroying the F-111Gs (former FB-111As), much to the consternation of my father. Some are saying this is due to the fact that they were once nuclear capable, but I imagine that anything that rendered the aircraft nuclear capable was removed prior to them being sent as part of an FMS. (With all the export control hoops I had to go to get cables sent overseas, I would hope anything that permitted nuclear weapons would be kept out of export. :) )

I do remember when I was at Griffiss our B-52Gs had special strakelets to identify them as cruise missile carriers as part of the treaty.

But the FB-111As were full-up nuclear bombers carrying the AGM-69A SRAM or the B61 "Silver Bullet" nuclear weapons. My dad did SIOP alerts for a week out of every three while I was growing up.
 
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