Flying Hold status: why F-117s are still flying although they are retired

Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117A was developed in response to an Air Force request for an aircraft capable of attacking high value targets without being detected by enemy radar. By the 1970s, new materials and techniques allowed engineers to design an aircraft with radar-evading or “stealth” qualities. The result was the F-117A, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft.

The first F-117A flew on Jun. 18, 1981, and the first F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group (renamed the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing in October 1989), achieved initial operating capability in October 1983.

A total of 59 F-117As were built between 1981 and 1990. In 1989 the F-117A was awarded the Collier Trophy, one of the most prized aeronautical awards in the world.

During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, F-117A’s flew approximately 1,300 sorties and scored direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq. It was the only US or coalition aircraft to strike targets in downtown Baghdad.

F-117s still flying although retired

In 1999, 24 F-117A’s deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to support NATO’s Operation Allied Force. The aircraft led the first Allied air strike against Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999.

Returning to the skies over Baghdad, F-117 A’s launched Operation Iraqi Freedom with a decapitation strike on March 20, 2003. Striking key targets in the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime, 12 deployed F-117s flew more than 100 combat sorties in support of the global war on terrorism.

The Nighthawk was officially retired from active service in 2008, primarily due to the emergence of more advanced aircraft but remains an iconic symbol of stealth technology and precision strike capabilities.

However, although officially retired, as already reported many F-117s remain airworthy and are used to support limited research and training missions based on overall cost effectiveness and their ability to offer unique capabilities.

Why are F-117 Nighthawks still flying even though are retired?

Flying Hold status

Andy Burns, former Naval Flight Officer, explains on Quora;

‘They are retired. But there are different types of “retired” when it comes to military aircraft, and aircraft are kept in differing levels of preservation depending on what the military anticipates to be its future needs.

• Level 1 (Flying Hold): Aircraft are kept in a fully operational state, with regular maintenance including engine runs, towing, and fluid servicing, ready to be deployed quickly if needed.
• Level 2 (Long Term Storage): Aircraft are kept intact but with minimal maintenance, stored for potential future use with the possibility of requiring significant work to return to flight status.
• Level 3 (Parts Reclamation): Aircraft are disassembled and used primarily as a source of spare parts for other aircraft in the fleet, with components removed as needed.

‘Some (classified) number of F-117s are in Flying Hold status. Airplanes in long-term pres have their fluids drained, some parts (particularly those made of rubber or synthetics that break down in sunlight) removed or coated with preservation material that prevents decay, panel lines and cockpits sealed up against dust/water/animal intrusion, and so on. Flying Hold aircraft can’t be as dramatically “sealed up,” so they need to be regularly inspected, tested, and flown, just like a fully operational aircraft.’

Burns concludes;

‘Some are also apparently being used as “aggressors” to test and evaluate new radar systems; such work is a big part of what goes on out in the Nevada test ranges. Since the F-117s have to be kept flight-worthy anyway, may as well make use of them, and they’re a great example of early-gen Low Observable technology aircraft and suitable for test purposes.’

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

Cold War Era