Lockheed Have Blue Lockheed " Have Blue " was the code name for Lockheed ' s demonstrator ( i . e . , " proof of concept " ) that preceded the F - 117 Nighthawk production stealth aircraft . " Have Blue " was designed by Lockheed ' s Skunk Works division , and tested at Groom Lake , Nevada . The " Have Blue " was the first fixed - wing aircraft designed from an electrical engineering ( rather than an aerospace engineering ) perspective . The aircraft ' s plate - like , faceted shape was designed to deflect electromagnetic waves , greatly reducing its radar signature . Two flyable vehicles were constructed , but both crashed during the flight - test program . In the 1970s , it became increasingly apparent to U . S . planners that , in a military confrontation with Warsaw Pact forces , NATO aircraft would quickly suffer heavy losses . This came as a result of sophisticated Soviet defense networks , which used surveillance radars and radar - guided surface - to - air missile s ( SAM ) and anti - aircraft artillery to seek and eliminate enemy aircraft . Consequently , the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency ( DARPA ) started a study on low - observability aircraft , seeking to design and produce an operational stealth aircraft . Five companies were initially invited , three of which bowed out early . The remaining two were later joined by Lockheed . To design the aircraft , the Skunk Works ' design team devised a computer program to calculate the radar cross - section s ( RCS ) of various designs . The eventual design characteristically featured faceted surfaces to deflect radar waves elsewhere . It had highly - swept wings and inward - canted vertical stabilizers , which led to its being nicknamed " Hopeless Diamond " . The first operational aircraft made its maiden flight on 1 December 1977 . The flight test program validated the feasibility of a flyable stealth aircraft . However , both prototypes were lost due to mechanical problems . Nevertheless , " Have Blue " was deemed a success , paving the way for the first operational stealth aircraft , " Senior Trend " , or F - 117 Nighthawk . Design and development . Origins . The Lockheed " Have Blue " was born out of a requirement to evade radar detection . During the Vietnam War , radar - guided surface - to - air missile s ( SAM ) and anti - aircraft artillery ( AAA ) posed a significant threat to US aircraft . As such , strike aircraft during the war often required support aircraft to perform combat air patrols and suppression of enemy air defenses ( SEAD ) . The 1973 Yom Kippur War again highlighted the vulnerability of aircraft to SAMs – the Israeli Air Force lost 109 aircraft in 18 days . During the Cold War , the Soviet Union developed an integrated defense network , central to which were medium - to long - range surveillance radars . SAMs and AAA batteries would be set up around key locations to defend them from incoming enemy aircraft . If the loss ratio of Israel during the Yom Kippur War was experienced by NATO forces during a military confrontation with the Warsaw Pact , NATO aircraft numbers would be depleted within two weeks . In 1974 , DARPA secretly requested answers from five aircraft manufacturers regarding two considerations . The first was about the signature thresholds at which an aircraft is virtually undetectable . The second point was whether these companies had the capacity to design and manufacture such an aircraft . Fairchild and Grumman declined to participate , while General Dynamics insisted on the use of electronic countermeasures . As a result , General Dynamics left the discussion . The remaining two companies , McDonnell Douglas and Northrop , were each awarded $ 100 , 000 for further research . Design effort and early testing . Lockheed , having been absent from the fighter aircraft industry for 10 years , was not approached by DARPA in 1974 . Ed Martin , Lockheed California Companies director of science and engineering , became aware of the research into stealth during his work at the Pentagon and Wright - Patterson AFB . Martin and Ben Rich , who at that time had recently become Skunk Works ' president , briefed Clarence " Kelly " Johnson on the program . The Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) gave Skunk Works permission to discuss with DARPA on the stealth characteristics of the A - 12 and D - 21 . Rich and Martin formally requested DARPA for the company to participate in the program , but the agency initially refused because there were insufficient funds ; after much debate , Lockheed was allowed entry , albeit without a government contract . Preliminary designer Dick Scherrer requested possible shapes upon which he could base his low radar cross - section ( RCS ) design . He was introduced to Denys Overholser , who recommended an aircraft with flat surfaces . Overholser later recounted his discussion with Sherrer : ' When Dick Scherrer asked me . . . I said " Well , it ' s simple , you just make it out of flat surfaces , and tilt those flat surfaces over , sweeping the edges away from the radar view angle , and that way you basically cause the energy to reflect away from the radar . " ' Scherror subsequently drew a preliminary low - RCS aircraft with faceted surfaces . At the same time , Overholser hired mathematician Bill Schroeder , with whom he had a prior working relationship – in fact , it was Schroeder who trained Overholser on mathematics relating to stealth aircraft . Kenneth Watson was hired as the senior lead aircraft designer . During the next few weeks , the team created a computer program which could evaluate the RCS of possible designs . The RCS - prediction software was called " ECHO 1 " . As tests with the program proceeded , it became apparent that edge calculations by the program were incorrect due to diffraction . In 1964 , Pyotr Ufimtsev , the chief scientist of the Moscow Institute for Radio Engineering , published a seminal paper titled " Method of Edge Waves in the Physical Theory of Diffraction " . The work was translated by the Air Force Systems Command ' s Foreign Technnology Division ; subsequently , Overholser incorporated elements of Ufimtsev ' s work to refine the software . ECHO 1 allowed the team to quickly decide which of the 20 possible designs were optimal , finally settling on the faceted delta - wing design . However , many within the division were skeptical of the shape , giving rise to the name " Hopeless Diamond " – Kelly Johnson said to Rich , " Our old D - 21 drone has a lower radar cross - section than that goddamn diamond " . For early tests of the design , two ⅓ - scale wooden mock - ups were constructed . One model , coated in metal foil , was used to verify ECHO 1 ' s RCS calculations , while the other was earmarked for wind tunnel tests . Afterwards , a model was moved to the Grey Butte Range radar - testing facility in the Mojave Desert near Palmdale , which allowed more accurate tests of the aircraft ' s RCS . In the event , the aircraft ' s RCS level confirmed ECHO 1 ' s predictions . This meant Ben Rich won a quarter from Johnson , who previously insisted that the D - 21 had less RCS than " Have Blue " . Experimental Survival Testbed . In the summer of 1975 , DARPA informally invited Lockheed , Northrop and McDonnell Douglas to develop an aircraft under the name " Experimental Survival Testbed " ( XST ) . McDonnell Douglas , having identified the thresholds at which aircraft were deemed undetectable , was unable to design and produce such an aircraft . Phase 1 of XST would see both Lockheed and Northrop build full - scale models to test their RCS , construct flyable vehicles , and wind - tunnel test their designs . Following Phase 1 , a sole contractor would be selected to continue with the construction and flight testing of two demonstrators as part of Phase 2 . Northrop ' s and Lockheed ' s designs were generally similar , though the former ' s submission featured more angular and flat surfaces . The company used " GENSCAT " , software similar to ECHO 1 , to calculate the RCS of its designs . On 1 November 1975 , Lockheed and Northrop were each awarded $ 1 . 5 - million contracts to proceed with Phase 1 of XST . During a four - month period , the two companies were each required to construct full - scale wooden mock - ups , which would then be evaluated at the USAF ' s Radar Target Scatter ( RATSCAT ) test facility at White Sands , New Mexico . To test the design ' s radar returns , Lockheed erected a $ 187 , 000 specially built pole upon which the model would be perched . In March 1976 , a Lockheed model was transferred to the range before being tested ; the following month Lockheed was pronounced the winner . DARPA , having realized the progress accumulated throughout the study , urged the Northrop team to remain together . The agency would later initiate the Battlefield Surveillance Aircraft , Experimental ( BSAX ) , which evolved into the Tacit Blue and , ultimately , the B - 2 bomber . Construction and further tests . Skunk Works now had to design , construct and flight test two manned demonstrators as part of Phase 2 , or " Have Blue " . To build the demonstrators , Ben Rich had to raise $ 10 . 4 million from the Lockheed management , which was secured by June . Phase 2 encompassed three main objectives , which were the validation of : reduced visibility in the radio wave , infrared , and visual spectrums and reduced acoustical observability ; acceptable flying qualities ; and the " modeling capabilities that accurately predict low observable characteristics of an aircraft in flight " . Construction of both " Have Blue " demonstrators used leftover tools from the C - 5 program . Final assembly of HB1001 was originally scheduled to end in August 1977 , before being ground tested until mid - October . The secret roll - out was envisaged to occur on 23 October , after which the aircraft would be dismantled and flown to the test area . On 1 September , however , with HB1001 partially complete , Lockheed machinists went on a four - month strike . A group of managers instead took over the job of assembly , which was completed in six weeks , with ground tests beginning on 17 October . While superficially similar to the later F - 117 , the " Have Blue " prototypes were smaller aircraft , about one quarter the weight of the F - 117 , with a wing sweep of 72 . 5° and inward - canted vertical tails . Radar - absorbent material ( RAM ) , developed in a Lockheed laboratory , were applied to the aircraft ' s flat surfaces – for the windscreen , special coatings were applied to give them metallic characteristics . The aircraft ' s gross weight of 9 , 200 – 12 , 500 lb ( 4 , 173 – 5 , 669 kg ) enabled the aircraft to use the landing gear from the Northrop F - 5 fighter . The aircraft ' s powerplants were two General Electric J85 - GE - 4As of the T - 2B Buckeye . Because stealth took precedence above all else , the aircraft was inherently unstable . As a result , a quadruple redundant fly - by - wire ( FBW ) flight control system was integrated into the aircraft to give it normal flying characteristics . The flight control system was borrowed from the F - 16 . The overwing engine inlet was covered by a low - RCS grid ; during takeoffs , when more air is needed , blow - in doors were constructed at the upper fuselage to admit additional airflow . Throughout the one and a half months after the start of ground tests , HB1001 , the first of two demonstrators , underwent tests in preparations for the first flight . Flight instrumentation was checked first , followed by a thorough shakedown of the aircraft . In early November , two semi - trailer s were parked parallel to each other outside Building 82 ; a camouflage net was thrown over the top to cover the demonstrator during outdoor engine runs . During the engine tests , a local resident complained about the noise , but " Have Blue " retained its secrecy . HB1001 received a layer of iron - coat paint ; during the weekend of 12 – 13 November , the aircraft received a camouflage scheme devised by Alan Brown , " Have Blue " s chief technical engineer . The scheme , consisting of three colors , each with three tones , was used to deceive any casual onlooker from recognizing the design ' s characteristic faceting . The aircraft was disassembled and loaded onto a C - 5 – on 16 November , the aircraft was flown from Burbank Airport ( since renamed " Bob Hope Airport " ) to Area 51 at Groom Lake , Nevada . Upon touchdown , the aircraft was reassembled before undergoing another round of testing prior to the first flight . After four taxi tests , HB1001 was ready for test flights . Operational history . HB1001 . HB1001 made its first flight on 1 December 1977 at the hands of Lockheed test pilot , Bill Park . He would fly the next four sorties , all chased by a T - 38 piloted by Major ( later Lieutenant Colonel ) Ken Dyson . Dyson , an F - 15 Eagle pilot , was previously approached by United States Air Force personnel about the project in 1976 . He made his first flight on HB1001 on 17 January 1978 , chased by Park . In fact , the two would be the only test pilots of " Have Blue " , alternating between the demonstrator and the chase plane . Flight test results allowed engineers to refine the FBW system . At the same time , they verified predictions made earlier by aerodynamic engineers on the aircraft ' s behavior . Flight tests proceeded fairly smoothly until 4 May 1978 , when HB1001 was making its 36th flight . The aircraft pitched up just as it made contact with the ground which forced the pilot , Bill Park , to abort the landing and make a second attempt . The impact had however been so hard that the landing gear had become jammed in a semi - retracted position . Efforts to lower the gear were unsuccessful and Bill Park was forced to eject at when fuel ran out . The aircraft was destroyed on impact in the vicinity of the Groom Lake facility . Park survived , but suffered a concussion , forcing him to retire from further test flights . Dyson , who was in the chase plane , recounted : " Just before touchdown the airplane pitched up . . . It seemed it slammed down on the ground real hard . . . He [ Park ] raised the gear on the go around , and when he tried to extend it on approach , only one of the mains and the nose wheel came down . All this time , gas was being consumed . . . I suggested he climb up to 10 , 000 feet for ejection . . . He started climbing , but the engine started flaming out , from the lack of fuel , so he ejected . " HB1002 . At the time of the crash , HB1002 was almost complete , with the lessons learned from the HB1001 incorporated into the aircraft , including the rebuilding of the aft fuselage . HB1002 was distinguished from the prototype in having a gray paint coat . It did not have the flight test instrumentation boom present on HB1001 ' s nose . As the aircraft was used to test RCS returns , the unstealthy spin recovery chute was removed , and the aircraft was covered in RAM . It first flew on 20 July 1978 at the controls of Dyson , who would be the only pilot to fly the aircraft . HB1002 was lost on 11 July 1979 during the aircraft ' s 52nd flight . A hydraulic leak caused an engine fire , resulting in the loss of hydraulic pressure , which in turn caused the severe pitch oscillation s . The pilot ejected safely , while the aircraft was written - off . It was later discovered that an engine exhaust clamp had loosened , allowing the hot exhaust to migrate to the right engine compartment . The heat built up there , failing the hydraulic lines . The debris from both aircraft was secretly buried somewhere within the Nellis complex . Despite the crashes , " Have Blue " was considered a success . " Senior Trend " . In October 1977 , just prior to Phase 2 of the XST competition , Lockheed was tasked with exploring possible operational aircraft . Just a month later , on the day HB1001 was transported to Groom Lake , the Air Force awarded the company a contract under the code name " Senior Trend " . The Air Force wanted to exploit the revolutionary technologies developed during the " Have Blue " program . The Tactical Air Command ordered five full - scale development and twenty production aircraft . Based on the " Have Blue " demonstrators , " Senior Trend " aircraft were different from their predecessors in several aspects . The wings exhibited less sweep to resolve a center - of - gravity problem discovered during tests . The front fuselage was shortened to give the pilot a better view . And , the vertical stabilizers were canted outwards from the centerline . Additionally , provisions were made to include two weapons bays , each of which would accommodate a single laser - guided bomb , or the B61 tactical nuclear bomb . Beset by early construction problems , the first FSD aircraft was transferred to Groom Lake in May 1981 inside a C - 5 . Further problems , this time with fuel leaks , delayed the first flight . Under the control of Harold Farley , the aircraft took off on 18 June for its maiden flight , nine months after the July 1980 first flight originally envisaged . The first production F - 117A was delivered in 1982 , and operational capability was achieved in October 1983 ; the 59th and last F - 117 was delivered in 1990 .