Murphy's Law: Nighthawk Forever
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January 21, 2022: The American F-117 Nighthawk, the first stealth aircraft to enter service, was retired 14 years ago, but is still flying. The latest sighting was in late 2021 when two of these retired aircraft were seen providing realistic opposition for reserve F-15 squadrons training to deal with enemy stealth aircraft. This is called adversary training and the F-117 proved to be excellent at providing a realistic foe. For several years F-117s have been spotted over training areas, where they apparently serve as “aggressor stealth aircraft” for training active-duty pilots. The move to stealth fighter adversary training for reserve F-15 pilots is probably related to reserve fighters getting the new AESA radars, which were designed with the ability to better detect stealth aircraft. To do that requires some practice for the pilots.
Using the F-117 is all about the fact that the key element in air combat has always been getting in the first shot. From 1914 into the 1940s the key to success in air-to-air combat was knowing how to fly into a position where you would see the enemy first and carry out a surprise attack. The earliest of these tricks was the World War I tactic of trying to have the sun behind you to make it more difficult for the enemy to see you coming. Another tactic was trying to get higher and out of sight for as long as possible until you could dive on the enemy aircraft in a high speed, and unexpected, attack. After World War II, the surprise aspect of air combat continued to be essential. In effect, “stealth” and the resulting surprise was always the key to victory. The F-117 represents the impact of stealth for pilots training to deal with first encounters against stealth aircraft.
https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20220121.aspx
