Stealth Aircraft in War: Flying Under the Radar in Panama, Venezuela, and Beyond

AI Summary

Stealth aircraft technology first saw combat use in Panama in 1989 during Operation Just Cause. Lockheed F-117A planes flew undetected past Soviet-built defenses and targeted Panamanian military installations to aid U.S. forces.

Introduction Five days before Christmas in 1989, a revolutionary technology debuted in combat over Panama. After flying undetected past Soviet-built ZPU4 air defense artillery, two Lockheed F-117As—the first developed “stealth” aircraft—detonated 2,000-pound, precision-guided bombs on Panamanian military installations to help parachuting Army Rangers seize the Rio Hato Airfield. The raid was one of the first kinetic actions of Operation Just … Read more The post Stealth Aircraft in War: Flying Under the Radar in Panama, Venezuela, and Beyond appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.