Comparing Military Aircraft: US F-117 Stealth , A-10 Attack Planes vs. Russian Su-25 Attack Aircraft (Part 1)

The “F-117” Nighthawk, designed and developed by the American Lockheed Corporation, is a stealth attack aircraft that adopted stealth technology across the whole aircraft, following the Lockheed Have Blue stealth prototype plan. During the Gulf War in 1991, it gained international recognition as the first stealth attack aircraft to be used in real combat.

The importance of developing stealth attack aircraft was highlighted in cases when the U.S. military suffered significant damage from North Vietnam’s surface-to-air missiles during the Vietnam War and the Israeli Air Force suffered damage from the Soviet Union’s new surface-to-air missiles during the Fourth Middle East War. The U.S. Department of Defense directed Lockheed and Northrop to develop stealth attack aircraft through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Accordingly, the first prototype, ‘Have Blue,’ made its first successful flight in December 1977 but was lost in an accident.

Based on this prototype, the F-117 was developed and born to carry internal armament and sensors to carry out attack missions. The U.S. military authorities concealed its existence from the outside media and officially debuted in the world by releasing a photo of the F-117 in 1988.

The first perfect mission carried out by the F-117A was recorded in Panama. Among six aircraft that took off from Tonopah Base and were refueled in the air, two F-117As attacked the infantry barracks in Panama City, the capital of Panama, and the Rio Hato area in the center. The F-117, which approached without being detected on radar, successfully struck a 2000-pound bomb at close range from the barracks. Although it was not carried out under ideal conditions due to bad weather and communication errors at the time, it was a successful case of a surprise attack by a stealth aircraft.

The vanguard of surprise attacks is the stealth attack aircraft “F-117”.

The F-117 proved its effective performance in the Iraq War again. The United States led the multinational troops in initiating preparations for the Iraq War. Iraq’s air defense system did not identify the F-117 at all, despite the U.S. military’s assessment that a total surprise would be difficult, as in the case of Panama. Iraq was well prepared, knowing that the multinational force included the F-117. Surprise attacks devastated the presidential palace in Baghdad, the Ba’ath Party headquarters, the Iraqi military command, and command communication facilities in Iraq and Kuwait.

Thirty-six F-117s penetrated at low altitude to attack after taking off from Khamas Mushait Base, and they returned at high altitude. Upon arriving in Baghdad, the F-117 pilot used its sensor-equipped aircraft to aim at the target building without using any fire control and achieved the result of hitting the targets with laser-guided bombs. Thanks to such performances, the Iraqi military could not effectively counterattack. They agreed to a cease-fire, bringing the war to an end. Military experts have put forward an analysis that the war would have lasted longer and the multinational forces would not have gained complete air superiority if there had not been a first-day air raid utilizing F-117 stealth attack aircraft at the start of the war. Because the F-117’s stealth technology allowed it to carry out a surprise strike even in a situation when the Iraqi military was ready for a counterattack. It was a major reason in the evaluation that it has been a major factor in the war’s outcome.

The U.S. Air Force used fighters like the F-4 and F-105 for close air support missions during the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s, but these aircraft were later determined to be unsuitable for close air support, necessitating the development of a new replacement model: the A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft. Even though the F-4 and F-105, among others, are high-speed, large models with excellent armament-carrying capacity, their hovering ability and low-altitude maneuverability are poor. Therefore, the United States entered into a development plan for a new aircraft to fulfill close air support missions with long hovering, various armament-carrying capabilities, and high low-altitude maneuverability in 1966.

Combat efficiency and survivability were in demand as requirements for the new attack aircraft. In particular, it was required to be able to replace the existing fleet of B-57 bombers, A-37s, and A-1 attack aircraft with high reliability in flight and maintenance to operate from battlefield airfields. It is also needed to be able to carry various weapon systems for long hovering and high maneuverability. The A-10 attack aircraft met these requirements.

To be continued in Part 2…