The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will add a Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk to its collection and prepare it for public display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles Airport in Virginia. The stealth aircraft, transferred from the U.S. Air Force and readied by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is due to appear as an exhibit in late October.
The move brings the first F-117 into the Smithsonian collection and extends the aircraft’s public role after retirement from operational service. The museum describes the jet as the world’s first true operational stealth combat aircraft and said it is the sixteenth YF-117/F-117 to be donated for public display.
Before going on display, the aircraft will be reassembled in the museum’s Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, where visitors will be able to view the work through the observation area. The airframe is expected to arrive partially dismantled for transport to the museum, allowing it to be moved by air and installed at the Udvar-Hazy Center.