Hasegawa [E1] F-117A Nighthawk 1/72

The F-117, secretly developed by the U.S. Air Force, is an aircraft with the ability to make infrared and radar detection difficult. Its development dates back to the stealth research aircraft “Have Blue” that first flew in 1977.

The two research aircraft were flight tested in strict secrecy with the aim of putting them into practical use. As a result, the Air Force ordered a full-scale development aircraft in November 1978, and deliveries of the production F-117A began in 1982.

The aircraft’s shape is made up of complex planes to diffuse radar waves , and to counter infrared rays, the exhaust nozzle is elongated horizontally to lower the exhaust temperature by using outside air.

The F-117A was originally developed as a fighter, but it had no anti-aircraft combat capabilities and was used for ground attack missions. It became famous for its pinpoint bombing in the 1991 Gulf War , but its first mission was an attack on Panama in 1989.