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F-117: Facts Behind the Legend — Ep. 313
24 October 2026

F-117: Facts Behind the Legend — Ep. 313

The Aerospace Advantage

About

Episode Summary:


The F-117 Nighthawk: it’s one of the biggest game changers in the history of airpower.  Ever since the dawn of military aviation, airmen sought to strike deep within enemy territory. The problem: increasingly sophisticated and lethal integrated air defense networks. The F-117 changed the rules of the game by leveraging lessons learned from Vietnam and combining stealth technology with precision strike munitions. The world learned this on night one of the Desert Storm air campaign. To mark this incredible achievement, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum just placed an F-117 on display for the public. 


Join us to hear from those who were present during the early days of the program, flew the jet, helped employ it, and the particulars surrounding the restoration and display of Smithsonian’s newest aircraft.


Credits:


Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies


Producer: Shane Thin


Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey


Guest: Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies


Guest: Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs


Guest: Dr. Richard Hallion


Guest: Dr. Michael Hankins



















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