F-117A Nighthawk

Overview
Despite the "F" prefix which usually denotes a fighter and it's popular nickname as the 'Stealth Fighter', the F-117A Nighthawk harbors limited air attack capability. The aircraft was built solely as a strike aircraft, with the capability to deliver just two 2000lb JDAM or Paveway guided bombs across a nearly unlimited range with aerial refueling. The Nighthawk can only reach high subsonic speeds, so as to mask heat signatures and guard against IR-seeking missiles. Of course the aircraft's real stealth ability comes from its black-painted airframe. Designed upon a diamond and then faceted into a aerodynamic machine with no right angles and coated with radar-absorbent material, the F-117 is a marvel of aviation. Sophisticated fly-by-wire allows the extremely unstable shape to fly unhindered through the air. For years it was labeled a black-ops jet, but its existence was fully revealed in the Gulf War, where it struck with ferocity against the Baghdad air defenses mains one of the world's most respected strike fighters. However, it was not without it's detractions. It's limited Air-to-Air capabilities, being capable only of carrying a limited amount of anti-air missiles and is not equipped with a gun, and comparatively low maneuverability make it almost completely reliant on it's stealth capabilities to survive unscathed. It's stealth systems also need to be frequently maintained at a rather high cost. However, this has proven more than enough, as in it's 25 years of service, only one F-117 has ever been shot down. During the Kosovo war, an F-117A, Callsign "Vega 31" piloted by Lt. Col. Dale Zenko, was shot down by a "Neva M" SAM modified to us low-frequency RADAR of the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade under the command of Colonel Zoltán Dani. It was retired in 2008 when its precision strike role was taken over by the F-22 Raptor and later, the F-35 Lightning II.

In the games, the F-117 is still primarily a strike-aircraft. However, like all the aircraft in the game, it has a much higher ordinance-carrying capacity and is equipped with a gun for close defense. It is also more maneuverable, though not as maneuverable as other aircraft that are more specialized for air-to-air combat.

Standard Weapons

 * Gun: 1 x 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon
 * Missiles: AIM-9M Sidewinder

Special Weapons

 * GPB/PGB: GBU-27 Paveway III (AC04/AC5/ACZ/ACX/AC6)
 * CLB/SFFS: Mk-20 Rockeye (AC04)
 * UGBL: Mk-84 2000lb Bomb (AC04/ACX/ACX2)
 * LAGM: AGM-88A HARM (ACZ/ACX/AC6)
 * QAAM: AIM-9X Sidewinder (ACZ/AC6)
 * QDMM: Modified AIM-120C AMRAAM (ACX2)

Aces

 * Baron (STFS/AC)
 * Razorback Squadron (URF/AC2)
 * Kwee (FEAF/AC04)
 * Regen (BAF/ACZ)
 * Schatten (BAF/ACZ)
 * Schauer (BAF/ACZ)
 * Spuk (BAF/ACZ)
 * Inferno (LAF/ACX)
 * Otus Recon Unit (AAF/ACX)
 * Gorizont Squadron (YAF/AC5)
 * Dzhoker (EAF/AC6)
 * Nightowl (Valahia/ACX2)

Air Combat

 * Stability: 10
 * Defense: 10
 * Offense: 10
 * Power: 40
 * Mobility: 10

Ace Combat 2

 * Power: 60
 * Defense: 60
 * Mobility: 45
 * Stability: 50
 * Climbing Ability: 60
 * Air-to-Air: 60
 * Air-to-Ground: 70

Ace Combat 5/Zero

 * Speed: 39
 * Mobility: 38
 * Stability: 81
 * Defense: 75
 * Air-to-Air: 39
 * Air-to-Ground: 91

Ace Combat X

 * Speed: 42
 * Air-to-Air: 18
 * Air-to-Ground: 69


 * Mobility: 54
 * Stability: 72
 * Defense: 75

Trivia

 * A notable goof in the Ace Combat games is that the F-117A is shown being capable of engaging in air to air combat, something the real Nighthawk could never do. The aircraft is also shown being equipped with an onboard cannon, despite the real F-117A never carrying any kind of gun armament, internal or otherwise.