F-117 - AIM9 capable?

I believe thats correct, however it can only launch sidewinders from wing pylons (which also have to be attached first) not its internal bomb bay. The attachment of
these weapons has a great impact on the F-117 stealth profile which is why it is rarely installed.

But yes it has the capability.
 
I think mmarsh may be confusing himself with the F-22 and F-35 aircraft, both which can mount external weapons on removable pylons at the cost of greater radar visibility.

I call myself a military aviation nut, but never before have I seen any sources which say the F-117 can carry Sidewinders. This may just be because most of the books I read are pretty old so the information might not have been released at the time of publication.

Also, I don't think it makes any sense to carry Sidewinders. The F-117's bomb bay is very small, and its primary mission is as a bomber, so it doesn't make sense to waste space with air to air missiles. The entire point of the plane is to stay hidden, so it won't go out of its way to hunt other planes like that. And since it is quite sluggish and unmaneuverable, the best course of action if caught would be to try and hide again, not to fight back.

Are there any flyboys in here who can confirm this out of personal knowledge/experience?
 
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No chronserpent, I am talking the F-117A Nighthawk.

Part of the reason has to do with subterfuge. You might remember that the F-117A was designated a 'Fighter' in order to keep Soviet intelligence guessing about the aircrafts true nature. Thats why its designation is the 'F'-117 instead of the 'A'-117. Its abilty to carry sidewinders was also an attempt to mislead the Soviets. But although the ability to fire sidewinders is not part of the F-117A mission profile of a night intruder -but I am pretty sure its a fully functional feature.

The hardpoints can also be used to carry other ordinance.
 
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With all due respect, at this point, it seems like it's your word against mine. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to admit that I have no professional knowledge or experience of the F-117, only as a military aviation buff. If you do, then please say so and I'll absolutely be more willing to agree with you.


But until then, I have to say I'm still skeptical. The first poster gave one link which said the Nighthawk can carry the AIM-9, but every other source I know of says it can not.

Here are two very reputable sources which do not state it can carry the Sidewinder:

Federation of American Scientists: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/f-117.htm

GlobalSecurity.org
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-117-specs.htm



The official Air Force fact sheet for the F-117A does not specifically say that the aircraft can or can not carry the AIM-9, but it does say that weapons are carried internally while you say the Sidewinder is carried on removable exterior pylons. The page makes no mention of these pylons.
http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=104


I have sent an email to the public affairs office of the USAF Air Combat Command asking them about this, so hopefully their answer can settle this for once and for all. Of course, it's a government agency so we can't expect an answer for a few days... ;-)
 
chronoserpent said:
I have sent an email to the public affairs office of the USAF Air Combat Command asking them about this, so hopefully their answer can settle this for once and for all. Of course, it's a government agency so we can't expect an answer for a few days... ;-)
Click to expand...

Or maybe a thorough investigation into your person and your interest in US military hardware capabilities. :p

Certain personnel :)x) from certain work zones:)2guns:) show up at your door :)m16:)with all kinds of questions :)read:) for you. "No, really... we were only debating it!!" :)oops:)

I will resign myself [a leg] to all matters of the ground before I turn my eyes to the sky.
 
If you can attach an outboard pylon, adding a sidewinder is child's play. As a kid I saw a photo of a small propeller plane that had been fitted with a Sidewinder (probably as some kind of technology trial platform). It was in a book... but I cannot remember the title it's been too long.
Hell, even the Cobra can carry sidewinders. And so can the radarless A-10.
 
Found this on Wiki...

The USAF maintains that the F-117A can carry air-to-air missiles, giving it air-to-air combat capability in addition to its primary air-to-ground mission. While that may be technically true, the aircraft is of unknown capability in air-combat. It lacks the radar to guide longer-range missiles and does not carry shorter-range missiles for self-defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-117
 
Hmmm.. wikipedia is not always the most reliable but usually it is reliable enough.
Maybe the air to air thing is indeed a deception.
Or it was indeed designed for surprise attacks on high priority air targets like the Mainstay and therefore although the presence of the capability is made public, specifics about it are highly secret.
 
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