Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk retired in 2008, fleet slated to vanish by 2034

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was the first operational stealth combat aircraft and was officially retired in 2008; the fleet is expected to fully disappear only in 2034. The program began in the 1970s to counter Soviet surface‑to‑air missiles and was originally intended to deliver tactical nuclear weapons against heavily defended targets. A Serbian air defence system shot down an F-117 in 1999 using an old S‑125 (SA‑3 Goa) after the aircraft flew a predictable route without a fighter escort, and the B‑2 Spirit entered service in 1997, offering a generational leap over the F‑117.