US Army To Replace Retired F-117 Aircrafts With F-22 Raptor

The F-177 Nighthawk, the world's first attack aircraft, has been in
service for 27 years and patrolled the skies over Panama, Serbia, Iraq, and
Afghanistan. It was also the first stealth aircraft designed to overcome
radar by deflecting it away with its faceted appearance.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, the base that manages the F-117
program, will have an informal, private retirement ceremony on Tuesday.

The last F-117s scheduled to fly will leave Holloman Air Force Base in New
Mexico on April 21. They will stop in Palmdale, CA for another retirement
ceremony, then arrive on April 22 at their final destination: Tonopah Test Range
Airfield in Nevada, where the jet made its first flight in 1981.

The F-22 Raptor was initially referred as the Advanced Tactical Fighter
(ATF) and was designed to meet a USAF requirement for 750 new fighters to
replace the F-15 Eagle.

The F-22 is designed to cruise at up to Mach 1.5 without use of the
afterburner, and its unusual layout is designed for agility as well as to
incorporate stealth characteristics. The F-22B, a planned two-seat trainer
version, was cancelled.

For more pictures of the F-117 Nighthawk and the F-22 Raptor, please check
the picture gallery.