Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.
documentedsource_actorPrivate Aerospace Contractors
First operational stealth aircraft. Program Senior Trend, led by Ben Rich; evolved from the DARPA Have Blue demonstrators. First flew at Groom Lake June 1981; based at Tonopah; revealed Nov 1988.
Faceted stealth attack jet enabled by Denys Overholser's 'Echo' radar-cross-section code, derived from Pyotr Ufimtsev's diffraction math. DARPA's Have Blue demonstrators (1976–79, both crashed) validated the concept; full development decided 1 Nov 1978 under Ben Rich. First YF-117A flew from Groom Lake 18 June 1981. Operations moved to Tonopah Test Range under the 4450th Tactical Group, hidden behind an A-7 cover story and Soviet-satellite-timed night flights. Existence denied until a Pentagon photo on 10 Nov 1988.