The Lockheed F-117A was the world’s first operational aircraft designed to exploit stealth technology.

It entered service from October 1983 and has served in most United States military actions since then.

The F-117 emerged from a design study called Have Blue to test the possibility of designing an aircraft virtually invisible to radar and infra-red detection.

The result was two experimental prototypes that first flew in mid 1977.

This project led to the 1978 decision to construct operational attack fighters using that stealth technology that would be capable of operating in the most highly defended air space and the first F-117 flew in June 1981.

The first of 59 F-117s was delivered in 1982 and the final one in mid 1990.

During the first Iraq war they flew about 1300 sorties and scored direct hits on 1600 high value targets.

Academy Minicraft 1/72 kit completed by Leigh Edmonds in September 2003.