Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lockheed-f-117-nighthawk

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the aircraft designation?Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
2. What is the primary design philosophy?Low-observable (stealth) technology for penetration of enemy airspace
3. How does the F-117 hide from radar?Its many flat, angled panels bounce radar waves away, giving it a tiny radar cross‑section of 0.001 square meters.
4. When did the F-117 first fly?The first prototype took to the sky in 1981, and it became fully operational in 1983.

Low-Observable Technology: A combination of design features and materials to minimize detection by radar, infrared, and visual sensors.
Radar Cross-Section (RCS): A measure of how detectable an object is by radar, expressed as an effective area.
Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM): A missile designed to be launched from the ground or a ship to destroy aircraft or other aerial vehicles.
Black Project: A project or program that is kept highly secret, often due to its advanced or sensitive nature.