F117-A Nighthawk stealth newest addition at Museum of Aviation

There’s a new addition to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins! The Lockheed F117-A Nighthawk flew more than 70 combat missions, spanning from Operation Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – There’s a new addition to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins!

The Lockheed F117-A Nighthawk flew more than 70 combat missions, spanning from Operation Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The museum acquired the stealth aircraft from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, and is the only F117-A to be on display in the Southeast.

Museum Curator Arthur Sullivan says now is a good time to see how the aircraft looks before it is restored.

“We’ll restore those surfaces, we’ll repaint the aircraft,” Sullivan said. “We’ll basically bring it back to exactly what it would’ve looked like while it was operational.”

Sullivan says the Nighthawk on display flew a strike mission during the first night of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The aircraft entered the Air Force inventory in 1981 and was retired in 2007.

The Nighthawk is currently on display for the next two weeks before it is transferred to a separate facility for restoration. The process is expected to take more than a year. Once complete, the aircraft will be a permanent fixture at the museum.