F117 vs A320 - Comparison

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, subsonic twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational aircraft to be designed with stealth technology. Work on what would become the F-117 was commenced in the 1970s as a means of countering increasingly sophisticated Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). During 1976, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued Lockheed with a contract to produce the Have Blue technology demonstrator, the test data from which validated the concept. On 1 November 1978, it was decided to proceed with the F-117 development program. A total of five prototypes would be produced; the first of which performed its maiden flight during 1981 at Groom Lake, Nevada. The first production F-117 was delivered in 1982, and its initial operating capability was achieved in October 1983. All aircraft were initially based at Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada. The aircraft's faceted shape (made from two-dimensional flat surfaces) heavily contributes to its relatively low radar cross-section of about 0.001 m2 (0.0108 sq ft). To minimise its infrared signature, it has a non-circular tail pipe that mixes hot exhaust with cool ambient air and lacks afterburners; it is also restricted to subsonic speeds as breaking the sound barrier would produce an obvious sonic boom that would increase both its acoustic and infrared footprints. While its performance in air combat maneuvering was less than that of most contemporary fighters, it was strictly an attack aircraft despite being commonly referred to as the "Stealth Fighter".

For this reason, it is equipped with integrated sophisticated digital navigation and attack systems, targeting being achieved via a thermal imaging infrared system and a laser rangefinder/laser designator. It is aerodynamically unstable in all three aircraft principal axes and thus requires constant flight corrections via a fly-by-wire (FBW) flight system to maintain controlled flight. Even years following its entry to service, the F-117 was a black project, its existence being denied by USAF officials. On 10 November 1988, the F-117 was publicly acknowledged for the first time. Its first combat mission was flown during the United States invasion of Panama in 1989. The last of 59 production F-117s were delivered on 3 July 1990. The F-117 was widely publicized for its role in the Gulf War of 1991, having flown approximately 1,300 sorties and scored direct hits on what the US called 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq. F-117s also participated in the conflict in Yugoslavia, during which one was shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) in 1999. It was also active during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The USAF retired the F-117 in April 2008, primarily due to the fielding of the F-22 Raptor. Despite the type's official retirement, a portion of the fleet has been kept in airworthy condition, and F-117s have been observed flying since 2009.

Source: Wikipedia

The Airbus A320 family are airliners designed and made by Airbus. The A320 first flew on 22 February 1987, was launched in March 1984, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the family was followed by the longer A321 (first delivered in January 1994), the briefer A319 (April 1996), and the even shorter A318 (July 2003). Assembly takes place in Tianjin in China since 2009; Hamburg in Germany; Toulouse in France; and in Mobile, Alabama in the United States since April 2016. The twinjet includes a and is powered by CFM56 or IAE V2500 turbofans, except the CFM56/PW6000 powered A318. The family pioneered the use of flight controls that were side-stick and electronic fly-by-wire in airliners. Variants provide maximum take-off weights from 68 to 93.5 t (150,000 to 206,000 lb), to pay a 5,740--6,940 km (3,100--3,750 nmi) range. The 31.4 m (103 ft) long A318 typically accommodates 107 to 132 passengers. The 124-156 seats A319 is 33.8 m (111 ft) long. The A320 is 37.

6 m (123 ft) long and can accommodate 150 to 186 passengers. The 44.5 m (146 ft) A321 provides 185 to 230 seats. The Airbus Corporate Jets are business jet versions. In December 2010, Airbus announced the re-engined A320neo (new engine option), which entered service with Lufthansa in January 2016. With improvements and efficient turbofans including sharklets, it provides up to 15% better fuel economy. Earlier A320s are now referred to as A320ceo (current engine option). It surpassed the Boeing 737 to become the highest-selling airliner. As of January 2020, a total of 9,273 aircraft have been delivered to more than 330 operators including low-cost carriers, with 8,814 aircraft in support. American Airlines is the largest operator with 414 aircraft. Orders pending were 6,068, for a total of 15,315 orders. While the 737 MAX is Boeing's response to the A320neo the A320ceo initially competed with the 737 Classic and the MD-80, then the MD-90 and the 737 Next Generation.

Source: Wikipedia