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Community, Military

Legendary fighter takes final flight, Air Force Reserve delivers F-117A to Smithsonian

| USAF Public Affairs

(By Staff Sgt. Alexis Morris) Nearly two decades after the U.S. Air Force retired the airframe from combat, one F-117A Nighthawk had the rare opportunity to take to the skies once more: this time, in the cargo hold of a C-5M Super Galaxy. The historic stealth aircraft, bound for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, would soon join the institution’s permanent collection.

Airmen assigned to the Air Force Reserve’s 512th Airlift Wing pose with personnel from Lockheed Martin, Air & Space Forces Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution for a photo in front of a wingless F117A Nighthawk before it is uploaded to a C-5M Super Galaxy in Palmdale, Calif., Oct. 5, 2026. The demilitarization process required to deem an aircraft worthy of museum display requires immense cooperation between the Department of War and its industry partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexis Morris)

 

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