F-117 Night Hawks ‘form up’ shortly before dispersing to strike individual targets, during combat missions in the Middle East.

Developed during an ultra-secret ‘black project’, by Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works division, the F-117 became operational in 1983 but was shrouded in secrecy until it was revealed to the public in 1988.

With a maximum speed of 684 mph, it was designed specifically for night-time ground attack and was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology to avoid radar detection. In fact its development was kept so classified that very few people at Lockheed and the Pentagon knew the program even existed.

Known as the Stealth Fighter this revolutionary aircraft carried out many significant missions 25 during its 25 years of service including Operations Just Cause, Desert Storm, Joint Guard and Enduring Freedom. During the 1991 Gulf War alone the F-117 flew 1,300 sorties scoring direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets without losing a single aircraft.

The F-117 was officially retired in 2008, although a number are kept in a state of readiness, and this iconic fighter remains one of the most distinctive and ground-breaking aircraft in the history of aviation.