Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk - Nicknames

Nicknames

The aircraft's official name is "Night Hawk", however the alternative form "Nighthawk" is frequently used.

As it prioritized stealth over aerodynamics, it earned the nickname "Wobblin'-Goblin" due to its alleged instability at low speeds; according to F-117 pilots, the nickname is undeserved. "Wobblin' (or wobbly) Goblin" is likely a holdover from the early Have Blue / Senior Trend (FSD) days of the project when instability was a problem. In the USAF, "Goblin" (without wobbly) persists as a nickname because of the aircraft's appearance. During Operation Desert Storm, Saudis dubbed the aircraft "Shaba", which is the Arabic word for "Ghost".