The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened its newly acquired Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk to public viewing today, October 21, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Known as The Overachiever, the aircraft brings a distinctive combat history to the museum’s collection: it is the only Nighthawk to have flown combat operations in all four major conflicts in which the type served. The aircraft participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991, Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia in 1999, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. That service record earned the stealth attack aircraft its nickname and makes it a particularly significant example of the pioneering design.
(Image credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)
The public debut follows a cross-country delivery and reassembly effort earlier this month. After undergoing modifications to prepare it for museum display at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, the Nighthawk traveled to Dulles International Airport aboard a U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy. From there, it was towed to the nearby Udvar-Hazy Center, where its wings and tail were reattached.
As previously reported by Vintage Aviation News, the aircraft is F-117A serial number 85-0818. It first flew on February 11, 1986, with Lockheed test pilot Harold “Hal” Farley at the controls, and the Air Force accepted it on May 22 that year. Its arrival at Dulles on October 6 marked the beginning of the final preparations for its museum debut.
Before the museum opened this morning, a media preview offered an opportunity to photograph the aircraft and discuss its history and preservation with specialists. Participants included Michael Hankins, a curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Aeronautics Department, and Jeff Corbets, a program manager with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. With reassembly complete, The Overachiever has moved from the preparation stage to the museum floor, giving visitors an opportunity to see an aircraft whose operational career spanned the Nighthawk’s combat history. Its display adds a significant chapter in stealth aviation to the aircraft preserved at the Udvar-Hazy Center. For more information about the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, visit www.airandspace.si.edu.
