Lockheed Martin F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters of the US Air Force's (USAF's) 49th Fighter Wing (FW) at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, are gearing up to take on new roles with new capabilities. Following the well-publicised involvement of the 8th Fighter Squadron ('Black Sheep') in Operation 'Iraqi Freedom' in 2003, the USAF has started to implement new upgrade programmes for the type. The USAF F-117 Combined Test Force (CTF) successfully released the first Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) from a YF-117A during a weapons test mission on 21 January at the Precision Impact Range Area at Edwards AFB, California. The 410th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS), F-117 CTF, released two types of JDAM 2,000 1b GPS-guided bombs.
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