F-117 Nighthawk Top Speed: How Fast Is The Stealth Fighter?

Born out of the U.S. Air Force's request for a radar-defying bomber, the F-117 Nighthawk is one of the most prolific fighter jets ever to hit the skies. Known in its heyday as a nearly invisible jet, the stealth bomber is recognizable by its distinct angular frame and black radar-absorbing camouflage. Even more infamous than its unique design is its battle record. For instance, during the Gulf War, the Nighthawk destroyed more than 1,500 high-value targets in just 43 days — all without ever incurring battle damage.

First operational in 1983, after years of cloak and dagger secrecy by its developers — Lockheed Corporation's infamous "Skunk Works" division — the F-117 Nighthawk flew in seven operational missions for the U.S. Air Force; ranging from the invasion of Panama in 1989, to the Baghdad bombings that kicked off the Iraq War in 2003. Incredibly, despite its high usage — the Nighthawk flew 1,271 sorties in Operation Desert Storm alone — only one of the 59 operational Nighthawk jets was ever lost in combat when enemy forces downed Lt Col Dale Zelko's F-117A over Serbia in 1999.

Officially retired in 2008, the F-117 Nighthawk remains one of the most infamous jets in military history. With its near spotless record, iconic visage, and status as a pioneer in the art of stealth technology, it's no wonder that America's first "invisible" jet still lives in the collective conscious today. However, it was no speed demon, maxing out at 684 mph.

Powered by two GE turbofan jet engines, capable of generating a collective 21,200 lbs of thrust, the F-117 Nighthawk could only reach the aforementioned maximum cruising speed of 684 MPH — just below Mach 1. Incredibly, this made it relatively slow for a fighter jet. For instance, the world's fastest combat jet, Russia's Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, could reach an incredible Mach 3.2 — a mind-boggling 2,190 mph. If warfare were a track meet, the F-117 Nighthawk wouldn't even make the Olympic trials. So how was it so prolific?

Of course, the F-117 was built for stealth rather than speed. With its unique frame of flat triangular plates arranged to redirect radar waves, the ingenuity of the Nighthawk is that its radar cross section is the equivalent of a hummingbird. In fact, the bomber's lack of top-end speed was by design, with its twin turbofan engines stripped of afterburners to reduce the jet's infrared emissions. 

Staying subsonic was actually an advantage for the Nighthawk, as breaking the sound barrier would not only produce a sonic boom, but increase the plane's infrared signature. Since the jet was designed to attack ground targets — it lacked the guns or air-to-air missiles typical of dogfights — it didn't need to outrun opposing fighters when it remained undetected by the enemy anyway.