A photographer has published effective shots and video of two F-117 Nighthawk aircraft flying over a canyon in California

The US Air Force is in no hurry to dismantle the F-117 Nighthawk for parts. The two Lockheed Martin aircraft recently flew over a canyon in California, where they were photographed and filmed by @stinkjet on Instagram.

Here's What We Know

The footage was taken on 21 April 2023 atop one of the hills along the Sidewinder route in California. It's a route used by military aircraft for training.

The US Air Force withdrew the F-117 Nighthawk from service 15 years ago after 25 years of service. Despite this, the planes continue to fly, although seeing them at low altitude is very rare. The F-117s are now used mainly for testing new sensors, and the California terrain is a great place to do so.

The surviving planes are at an airport in Nevada. There are 45 F-117 Nighthawks in the US Air Force inventory. The service plans to use some of them for several years, at least until 2034.

The aircraft made its maiden flight in the summer of 1981, and in the spring of 1983 it entered service. Lockheed Martin has produced 64 F-117s. The development program cost $6.56 billion, and one aircraft cost more than $111 million.

The F-117 Nighthawk is equipped with two General Electric F404-F1D2 engines. Top speed is 993 km/h (M=0.91) and cruising speed is 905 km/ (M=0.83). The aircraft has a range of 1,720 km, a combat radius of 860 km and is capable of climbing to 13.7 km altitude.

Source: @stinkjet